A man with suspected ties to an international criminal network targeting South Asian business owners in Ontario and the United States was arrested in Edmonton during a traffic stop.
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) says Safaldeep Singh, 22, was arrested on May 4 after police stopped a Dodge Charger following reports of dangerous driving.
Police searched the vehicle and seized illegal drugs and a loaded gun.
Singh was arrested along with a 28-year-old man and another 22-year-old man who were in the vehicle.
All three were charged with drug trafficking and firearm-related offences.
Police say Singh has ties to the For Brothers gang, which is linked to extortion schemes in the Greater Toronto Area and the U.S.
Search warrants were conducted at Singh’s home on May 28 and June 23, and police say evidence of vehicle re-vinning operations linked to extortion crimes was seized.
On June 23, Singh was charged with trafficking property obtained by a crime, possession of stolen property, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
He was also arrested on Canada-wide warrants originating in Ontario for conspiracy to commit murder and extortion.
After he was processed in Edmonton, Singh was transported to Ontario to face the charges in that region.
“We’ve been investigating extortion networks and their multi-jurisdictional linkages in Canada for some time now, and we have established a coordinated approach with a focus on effective intelligence collection, sharing, and enforcement action across provinces,” Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart of the EPS investigations branch said in a news release.
The investigation is part of Project Insight, the newest iteration of the EPS framework for investigating South Asian extortions.
EPS says a core component of the framework is real-time intelligence sharing to ensure a unified and timely response to threats across jurisdictions.
Anyone targeted by extortion attempts, which typically involve threats or demands to make payments through messaging platforms like WhatsApp, take the following steps:
- do not respond to the threatening communication;
- preserve evidence by taking screenshots of incoming calls or messages;
- contact police immediately; and
- if you are concerned for your immediate safety, find a safe place to stay, such as a friend or family member’s home, until police can reach you.
Anyone with information about extortion crimes impacting the South Asian community is asked to contact EPS at 780-423-4567 or to make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
