the Punjab police on Monday arrested Indian-origin transnational drug lord Shehnaz Singh in Ludhiana who was also wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with one of the largest narcotics seizures in the US.funkpg

Shehnaz Singh is also known as Shawn Bhinder among his associates, as per reports and he had been operating alleged the drug trafficking under the guise of a transportation business in Canada since 2014 and may have also facilitated the movement of drugs from Colombia to the US and Canada via Mexico.

Shehnaz Singh aka Shawn Bhinder is a native of village Mandiala in Batala but he had been residing in Brampton in Canada.

He landed in India recently after a FBI crackdown.

Singh was wanted by the FBI in one of the largest drug seizures in the US on February 26, 2025, where the agency had arrested six of his associates and seized 391 kg methamphetamine, 109 kg cocaine, four sophisticated weapons and vehicles from their possession.

The six arrested by the FBI were identified as Amritpal Singh alias Amrit alias Bal, Amritpal Singh alias Cheema, Taqdeer Singh alias Romi, Sarabjit Singh Saabi, Fernando Valladares alias Franco and Gurlal Singh.

DGP Gaurav Yadav told PTI that Singh was also wanted in an Arms Act case registered in December 2024. The Tarn Taran Police had arrested five members of the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Amritpal Batth gang in the case,ijogo leading to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ferozepur Range) Swapan Sharma accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tarn Taran Abhimanyu Rana reportedly said preliminary investigations reveal that Singh played a key role in transporting large consignments of drugs across international borders using trucks and trailers.

He said it was found during interrogation that "accused Shawn Bhinder, operating under the guise of a legitimate transportation business in Canada since 2014, allegedly facilitated the movement of drugs from Colombia to the US and Canada via Mexico".

Probe also revealed that singh, along with his accomplices, was transporting approximately 600 kg of cocaine from Colombia every week, he added.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that after a crackdown by the FBI, Singh managed to give a slip to the FBI sleuths and secretly landed in India.

This alerted the Punjab Police who successfully tracked and arrested him from the jurisdiction of Ludhiana.

The arrest came amid Punjab government's ongoing "Yudh Nashian Virudh" (war against drugs) campaign, launched on February 25.

The protesters were not allowed to live stream the meeting but the West Bnegal chief secretary announced that they two professional stenographers will be allowed to record the minutes of the meeting.

Kerala argues that it can borrow money using the security or guarantee of the state's Consolidated Fund since Article 293 of the Indian Constitution grants the state fiscal autonomy.

SSP Rana said the accused's network is believed to have ties with notorious drug traffickersfunkpg, including Amritpal Singh alias Baath and Gurjant Singh Bholu Havelia. Further investigations are on, he added.