Indo-Canadian organized crime
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2015) |
| Founding location | British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1990s - present |
| Territory | Canada (mainly in the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario but to some extent Alberta), California, New Jersey, New York, Punjab, India |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, weapon trafficking, robbery, contract killing, fraud, money laundering, chop shop, counterfeiting, extortion, illegal gambling, murder and prostitution |
| Allies | Triads, Vietnamese crime groups, Mexican cartels |
| Rivals | Outlaw motorcycle clubs |
Indo-Canadian organized crime is a term denoted to organized crime groups based in Canada that are predominantly of Indian origin. Indo-Canadian gangs are the third major homegrown organized crime problems in Canada, next to the Outlaw motorcycle clubs and Native American criminal organizations. Annual police report ranked them third in terms of sophistication and strength in British Columbia, only behind the aforementioned biker gangs and Asian criminal organizations such as the Triads and Vietnamese drug clans.[1]
History
Indo-Canadian street gangs were in the beginning mostly involved in petty street crimes, older and more calculated criminals from the community quickly saw opportunities to make profit of the situation. Often using clan-based connections in their homeland, organized criminals from the Jatt community were able to build relatively criminal empires making use of young street gangs. The first major Indo-Canadian crime boss was Bindy Johal, although many and more powerful crime characters followed.[1] Indo Canadian gang violence has caused a major problem with a total of about 100 gang deaths since the 1990s to present day with most still unsolved. Between 1991 and 2005 the number is unknown due to lack of concern from police during that time, but at least 50 and at most 80 Indo Canadians have been murdered from gang related violence.[2] Unfortunately Indo Canadian gang violence is still on a high, recorded that from 2006 to 2014, 34 Indo Canadians had been murdered by gang violence making up for 21.3% of gang deaths in B.C.[3]
Gang violence has started to heat up again as of 2014 in the Punjabi (Sikh) community were violence in West Abbotsford between the Chahil and Dhaliwal crime groups has led to the death of Harwindip Singh Baringh,[4] in the Vancouver South Slope were two Punjabi groups have caused chaos which might be linked to the situation in West Abbotsford, and as of 2015 15 out of 30 shootings in Surrey and Delta from March 9 to May 9 have been from a drug turf war between the Indian and Somali drug groups which has led to the death of Arun Singh Bains as well as much of the Somali gang leadership.[5][failed verification] Due to this the police have arrested 5 Indo-Canadian males Arman Dhatt, Pardip Brar, Rajvir Sunner, Chandanjot Gill, and Munroop Hayer to stop the gang violence happening in both cities.[6][7]
Activities
The main trade of the Indo-Canadian crime groups is the trafficking of heroin. Indo-Canadian crime bosses use their family connections in India to bring in the drug. Indo-Canadian crime groups widened the reach of their activities and delved criminal areas such as extortion, kidnapping, prostitution, money laundering and above all contract killing.[8][9] Organized gangs from the community have infiltrated the local transportation business, setting up connections with Mexican drug cartels and using truck drivers to smuggle cocaine and hashish from Mexico into the United States and Canada.[10]
References
- ^ a b Kim Bolan (Oct 1, 2005). "Stepping up the ranks". Vancouver Sun.
- ^ "The Sikhs of Vancouver". vdare.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Rattan Mall (September 10, 2014). "34 South Asian victims in gang-related homicides January 2006-March 2014". Indo-Canadian Voice.
- ^ "Abbotsford's Harwindip Singh Baringh's murder rivalry between Chahil and Dhaliwal crime groups?". voiceonline.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "RATTAN'S RUMBLE: Don't fool yourselves, NOTHING is going to change in the crime scene – and here is why ... (revised – with photos)". voiceonline.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Arman Dhatt, Pardip Brar and Rajvir Sunner arrested and charged in Surrey-Delta shootings as police go all out to stem violence". voiceonline.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Chandanjot Singh Gill, 18, and Munroop Singh Hayer, 21, arrested and charged in connection with recent Surrey-Delta drug war". voiceonline.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Duhre gang: Who are they?". www.theprovince.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Canada gang wars have a Punjab connection". sunday-guardian.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Indo-Canadian truck drivers from GTA caught in web of North American drug trade". thestar.com. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2015.