5 of Punjab origin held for arms, drug smuggling in Canada
The Canada police have arrested five Canadians of Punjab origin, including a woman and her two sons, for alleged arms and drug smuggling.
11 weapons seized
The police seized 11 firearms, including assault rifles, handguns and a submachine gun, as well as over 900 rounds of ammunition from the accused.
They seized 11 firearms, including assault rifles, handguns and a submachine gun, as well as over 900 rounds of ammunition from them. Nearly 200 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of opium were seized, along with 80 oxycodone pills and 100 unknown pills.
As per a media brief by the Peel Regional Police, those arrested included Brampton residents Narinder Kaur Nagra, 61, and her two sons, Navdeep Nagra, 20, and Ravneet Nagra 22, along with Ranveer Araich, 20, Pavneet Nahal, 21. They face about 160 violation charges.
Peel police chief Nishan Duraiappah said they have seized more firearms so far in 2024 than in any previous years. Four of the firearms originated in the United States and five in Canada. The remaining two could not be traced due to serial number issues, he said.
The release said the arrests began with the recovery of a gun from a 20-year-old man by the traffic police in July. It further said between July and September, officers from the Specialised Enforcement Bureau conducted Project ‘Sledgehammer’, an investigation targeting a group suspected of drug trafficking in the Region of Peel and across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Police say they executed search warrants at three residences in Brampton, one residence in Waterloo and a storage facility in Caledon, Ontario. It recovered 11 firearms, 32 prohibited magazines,Over 900 rounds of ammunition, 53 Glock selector switches besides drugs.
“The widespread availability of illegal firearms represents an immediate and serious threat to the safety of our community. We remain resolute in our mission to disrupt and dismantle these criminal networks, deploying significant resources to combat this issue,” said Duraiappah.
