The United States have detained a Surrey man – Opinder Singh Sian – for alleged links to the international drug trade in connection with alleged attempt to traffic 530 lbs. of methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Australia, reported Surrey Now-Leader.
The report added that Sian had been charged with conspiracy to export at least 50 grams of methamphetamine and allegedly trafficked them on or around the summer of 2023 in Los Angeles.
Citing the court documents, the report said that Sian is an “alleged member of a criminal gang” and had links with the Irish organised crime Kinahan family and Italian and Canadian organised crime groups. Also, Sian was linked to the B.C.-based Brother Keepers gang, reported the Vancouver Sun.
DEA inserts an undercover source:
Earlier in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s high-intensity drug trafficking area group received a tip from the DEA’s Ankara regarding inserting a confidential source into an international drug trafficking organization.
Surrey Now-Leader added that the organisation allegedly needed help from someone acting as the transportation coordinator for moving drugs from Los Angeles to Australia.
When the DEA agent contacted the source on the phone, they gave them Sian’s number. The warrant notes that Sian was living in Vancouver at the time, but the Vancouver Sun article noted his connections to Surrey.
Reports claimed that the source and Sian met in person and spoke over the phone several times. They even allegedly discussed coordinating “multiple deliveries of methamphetamine from co-conspirators” to the confidential source in Southern California for shipment to Australia, added the reports.
“Sian advised the source that he and his criminal associates would be delivering a total of an estimated 500-750 kilograms of methamphetamine that would be made in separate deliveries being coordinated by Sian’s criminal associates,” the court documents read.
The document added that Sian and his associates arranged for four drop-offs to the source, which would be shipped off to Australia. Sian also created several group chats with the source and his criminal associates to arrange the deliveries.
In mid-October 2023, DEA and Australian law enforcement “packaged sham methamphetamine and placed a tracking device inside.”
In the meantime, Sian has waived his right to a detention hearing in Nevada so he could have one in California. Until he is transferred to California for a detention hearing, he remains in custody.