B.C. man denied bail in cross-border drug trafficking investigation involving 37 suspects

Gurtej Smagh, one of three B.C. men arrested in Operation Hard Ball, was denied bail Tuesday. His co-accused face hearings in August ahead of extradition to the U.S.

B.C. man denied bail after arrest in multinational drug operation

Gurtej Smagh, one of three British Columbia men arrested earlier this month in connection with alleged drug offences, was denied bail on Tuesday, cbc.ca reports.

Smagh appeared by video at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, while co-accused Ravinder Singh Dhanda and Jaskarn Baghri attended in person. All three are facing bail hearings ahead of extradition proceedings to the United States.

The arrests were made in early July as part of Operation Hard Ball, a joint effort by the RCMP and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The operation targets 37 defendants in total, including Lawrence Bishnoi, a gang leader who has been imprisoned in India since 2015. The three B.C. men are named in a separate indictment focused on drug trafficking allegations.

According to the indictment, Dhanda allegedly led a "drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico." The document further alleges that one of the accused received information from a Canada Border Services Agency insider "to assist with smuggling cocaine and methamphetamine across the U.S.-Canada border."

Andree Solari, co-counsel for Smagh, acknowledged the court's ruling. "Ultimately the hope is always for our client to be released," Solari said. "But again, the court made its decision, and we respect it."

Bail hearings for Dhanda and Baghri are expected to take place in August.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)