Canadian police have charged nine men of Indian origin, reported to have roots in Punjab, after breaking up an interprovincial drug trafficking network in an investigation called Project Pink Panther, the Winnipeg Police Service has said. Police announced the results of the probe on Tuesday, November 10, and put the street value of the drugs seized at about C$970,000.
Source: The Punjab Standard
The Winnipeg Police Service's Organised Crime Unit launched the investigation in December 2025, funded by Manitoba Justice, after detectives noticed a rise in street-level sales of methamphetamine and cocaine that could not be traced to local sources. Inspector Josh Ewatski of the organised crime unit called it “an organized criminal network operating across provincial boundaries.”
Police say the drugs were sourced from Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta and transported into Manitoba using passenger vehicles, courier services, postal shipments and commercial airlines. Once in Winnipeg, the drugs were delivered to designated properties, where they were retrieved, stored and then distributed, the City of Winnipeg said in a statement.
Source: City of Winnipeg / Winnipeg Police Service statement via EuropeSays
Raids in Winnipeg and the Toronto area
On August 26, investigators executed multiple search warrants at locations in Winnipeg and in the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Brampton and Alliston. The Canada Border Services Agency, the Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police assisted in the operation.
Police also seized about 3 kg of ketamine (about C$101,000), about 2 kg of MDMA, about 1,800 LSD tablets, about 31 grams of heroin and about 207 cannabis edible packages. The six firearms included rifles and shotguns, and police recovered more than 800 rounds of ammunition and a conducted energy weapon. The four vehicles seized were a Mercedes-Benz GLC300, a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 LTZ Crew Cab, a Chevrolet Cruze LT Turbo and a Cadillac CTS.
Who was arrested
Six men were arrested in Winnipeg: Tarundev Singh, 32; Devinder Singh, 57; Amandeep Singh, 47; Mandeep Singh Dutta, 37; Karanvir Singh, 24; and Maganpreet Boparai, 25. Three men were arrested in Ontario: Tarnvir Sandhu, 37; Karan Joshi, 34; and Manjinder Singh Sagoo, 43. Police said Amandeep Singh, Mandeep Singh Dutta, Maganpreet Boparai and Manjinder Singh Sagoo were released on a release order, while the others remain in custody.
The charges include drug trafficking, possession of controlled substances, possession of proceeds of crime, firearm offences and obstruction of justice. None of the charges has been proven in court, and all of the accused are presumed innocent unless convicted.
A Manitoba civil forfeiture claim makes further allegations against a 32-year-old accused and his 57-year-old father, alleging brief “quick meets” in back lanes and parking lots; it also alleges the father was stopped by the RCMP in July while returning from Calgary, with about 5 kg of cocaine found in his vehicle. Those claims are allegations in a civil filing and have not been proven.
Source: The Punjab Standard
The border agency is also checking whether some of the accused can remain in Canada. “The criminal matters have to be resolved before we can take an action on the immigration side,” said Jeryn Peters, the Canada Border Services Agency's executive director for the Prairie region. The case is now before the courts, and police have not announced any further arrests in the investigation.