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Indian-origin Canadian gets 20 years in U.S. drug case
Authorities said Sidhu arranged for the narcotics to be transported across the U.S.-Canada border in long-haul semi-trucks after purchasing bulk quantities in the United States.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 10, Jul 2026
- 02:41 EDT
- 30
Representative Image / Pexels
Indian-origin Canadian national Guramrit Sidhu was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on July 9 for leading a cross-border criminal organization that trafficked more than 850 kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine from the United States into Canada, federal prosecutors said.
Sidhu, 63, of Brampton, Ontario, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt after pleading guilty on March 26 to one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He has remained in federal custody since October 2024.
According to his plea agreement, Sidhu led a drug trafficking organization that operated from September 2020 through February 2023, coordinating the movement of large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from the United States into Canada for distribution.
Federal prosecutors said that between Sept. 13 and Oct. 24, 2022, Sidhu orchestrated eight separate drug shipments totaling approximately 523 kilograms (1,153 pounds) of methamphetamine and 347 kilograms (765 pounds) of cocaine. Law enforcement authorities seized all of the shipments, which had an estimated wholesale value of $15 million to $17 million.
Authorities said Sidhu arranged for the narcotics to be transported across the U.S.-Canada border in long-haul semi-trucks after purchasing bulk quantities in the United States.
To facilitate the deliveries, Sidhu provided couriers with telephone numbers and serial numbers from currency bills to serve as identification tokens during the exchange and transportation of the drugs, according to court records.
After the shipments entered Canada, Sidhu and his co-conspirators retrieved the cocaine and methamphetamine from designated locations for further distribution, prosecutors said.
Sidhu is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Several other defendants have also pleaded guilty and received federal prison sentences ranging from 27 months to 108 months.
The investigation involved the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and law enforcement authorities in Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration also provided assistance.
The 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.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section.
Federal prosecutors said the case was pursued under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a multiagency effort established to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, including drug trafficking networks operating across international borders.
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