CHANDIGARH: A Canadian national of Indian origin from Punjab has been sentenced to 20 years in a US federal prison for leading a criminal organisation that trafficked about 850 kg of methamphetamine and cocaine worth an estimated $15 million to $17 million from the United States into Canada.
According to a release issued by the US Attorney's Office, Guramrit Sidhu (63) of Brampton, Ontario, was sentenced by US District Judge John A Kronstadt on Friday. He has been in federal custody since October 2024.
The statement issued by the US Attorney's Office reads, "From September 13 to October 24, 2022, Sidhu orchestrated eight separate drug loads, totalling approximately 523 kg of methamphetamine and 347 kg of cocaine, all of which were seized by law enforcement. These drug loads had an estimated wholesale value of $15 million to $17 million.’’
"After buying the bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the U.S., Sidhu arranged for the narcotics’ transportation into Canada via long-haul semi-trucks for further distribution. He provided telephone numbers and serial numbers on bills of currency for couriers to use as a “token” for identification purposes during the delivery and transportation of the cocaine and methamphetamine,’’ it stated.
The statement noted that Sidhu and his co-conspirators retrieved cocaine and methamphetamine from various locations across Canada for further distribution. He is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Several other defendants have also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 27 to 108 months.
Court records showed that Sidhu was born in India and immigrated to Canada with his parents and siblings in 1974 when he was 11 years old. As part of his guilty plea, US prosecutors agreed not to seek a sentence longer than 20 years and not to oppose his request to serve the last half of his sentence in Canada.
Prosecutors said Sidhu purchased bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the Los Angeles area, where the drugs had originated from Mexico, and arranged for them to be transported into Canada in commercial tractor-trailers.
Investigators said coded text messages were used during the operation, with "water" referring to methamphetamine, "girls" to cocaine and "Lisa" to Los Angeles. The unique serial numbers on banknotes were used to verify the identities of those exchanging the drugs.
Sidhu was convicted of kidnapping in Canada in 2011 and sentenced to more than nine years in prison. However, US sentencing guidelines do not take foreign convictions into account.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and law enforcement authorities in Mexico.
The statement added that Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration provided significant assistance, while the US Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with Canadian authorities to secure Sidhu's arrest and extradition to the United States in October 2024.