3 Indian Men Among 10 People Arrested In Canada For Drugs Trafficking: Report

Three Indian men were among 10 people arrested by the Canadian authorities this week for allegedly being involved in drug trafficking between Mexico and the North American nations, according to a media report.

Ayush Sharma, 25, and Guramrit Sidhu, 60, both from Brampton, and Subham Kumar, 29, from Calgary, were arrested under an international arrest warrant following a joint operation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), reported cp24.com, a Canada-based television channel on Monday.

"This conspiracy spanned three countries and involved drug suppliers connected to cartels in Mexico, drug distributors and brokers in Los Angeles, Canadian truck drivers and a network that exported drugs into Canada, and even an associate of the Italian Mafia in Montreal," the report quoted US attorney Martin Estrada as saying while speaking during a news conference in Los Angeles.

The officer said that a total of 10 people were arrested, including five from Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. They would be extradited to the US from Canada, the report said.

"Scoppa is alleged to have bought massive quantities of cocaine and other drugs on a wholesale basis," the police said.

The group allegedly used Canadian "handlers" and "dispatchers" who would travel to Los Angeles for short periods. The "handlers" would coordinate the pickup and delivery of the shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine using Canada-bound trucks.

The transportation was coordinated by a network of drivers working with dozens of trucking companies who made numerous border crossings from the United States to Canada via the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, the Buffalo Peace Bridge and the Blue Water Bridge, authorities said.

Sharma and Kumar are truck drivers, the report said.