Canada deports 2 men allegedly linked to extortion of South Asian business owners in Edmonton

Canada has deported two men in their 20s allegedly linked to the violent extortion of South Asian business owners in Edmonton, and police in Alberta say they have identified more than 50 suspects part of that criminal network.

A 22-year-old man, described as the Edmonton “ringleader” and “decision-maker,” and a 25-year-old man were deported. Authorities did not identify them and could not say which country they were deported to. They say charges are still pending.

The two men were among five principal suspects allegedly operating in the Edmonton area and connected to extortions in Calgary, the B.C. Lower Mainland and Ontario, police say. They were identified as part of a joint investigation between the Edmonton Police Service and RCMP.

Police referred those five suspects to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which determined the two men who were eventually deported were not allowed to be in Canada. The remaining three suspects in that core group are currently under investigation by the CBSA.

Police are investigating an additional 51 suspects allegedly linked to the criminal network involved in the extortions. Authorities have not ruled out a link to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, an India-based group that Alberta wants designated as a terrorist organization.

The extortion attempts involved threats or demands for payment, typically using WhatsApp.

“There is a message, it’s in some cases, not all cases, links to an international crime figure sometimes,” Supt. Robinder Gill with the EPS’ criminal investigations division told a press conference Thursday. “And then there’s threats, intimidation, in regards to if they don’t follow through, that harm will come to them or their family. Sometimes that can happen before, and sometimes that happens after, violence occurs. So in some cases, you’ll see a house, they’ll fire shots at it. There may be an arson that will occur.

“And that obviously is going to make any complainant feel unsettled, and that is the reason that’s how it usually ends up working.”

Police allege there were instances of violence connected to the five principal suspects. There has been no extortion activity in the Edmonton area from this group since the two men were deported, police say.

“These organized crime groups are highly adaptable, and they are constantly evolving in their tactics,” said Supt. Gill. “The structure of these groups is a tiered, predatory network of organized crime where the risk is local, the revenue is global, and the fallout is the erosion of the very trust that holds the Southeast Asian community together.

“These groups weaponize community ties, find victims, effectively poisoning the social fabric of the Southeast Asian community. And the organized crime groups exploit the cultural nuances in the language to target families who have worked in some cases many generations here to build a safe haven in Canada.”

Investigators say the criminal networks often recruit young newly arrived South Asian foreign workers and students.

“Do not let these criminals steal your future,” said Gill. “They offer a false sense of belonging, but the reality is they see you as disposable tools. They will pose as your brothers, but make no mistake, they are your bosses. You will have the least amount to gain, and you carry the greatest risk.”

“I think the notion that people are being removed from the country, potentially not being able to return, that sends a very important message in terms of reducing the amount of people that might be open to being recruited by these organized crime groups,” added Chief Supt. Duncan Pound, the assistant district commander and operations officer with the Lower Mainland District RCMP.

Last spring, Edmonton police and Alberta RCMP launched separate investigations — which later led to a joint operation — into reports of extortions specifically targeting South Asian business owners in and around Alberta’s capital.

READ: Edmonton police warn extortions, arsons targeting South Asian businesses resurging

Police described them as a “small resurgence” following Project Gaslight, the police investigation that determined organized crime groups were targeting vacant, newly built and under-construction homes in Edmonton in 2023 and 2024 as part of international extortion activities with links to India.

As part of this latest investigation, police say they seized four vehicles and nine firearms.

Deportation first, then charges

Police say the choice to deport the suspects prior to laying criminal charges was a decision made with public safety in mind.

“You have such high stakes and dynamics, and public safety is first and foremost,” said Gill. “And you have our complainants that are being terrorized in many ways through the actions of these individuals. You try to figure out, how can you nullify and eliminate that threat? So those are the different strategies that we’re looking through. So in some cases, what we’ll do is we will lead with charges and we’ll look to deal with them in the justice system. In other cases, we’ll look at the deportation piece.

“We have a community that has, in many cases, gotten their own security. They’ve moved from their residence. So you need to deal with that piece right away. The standard of where it comes down to criminal charges, as the length of these prosecutions… takes a significant amount of time. There is an incredible amount of data that we have to go through. There is judicial warrants, everything that our judicial system requires, we need to make that happen from a policing perspective. So that’s what you need to balance when you’re taking a look at that public safety.”