NOT your Sikhs today: Southwestern Ontario edition

What/where (Walt hears you ask) is Walpole Island? Answer: Walpole Island, known as Bkejwanong in Anishinaabemowin, is an "unceded" Indian First Nation territory in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Located at the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, it is home to the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples.

Given its location, and the claim of the indigenes that the land was never ceded to the British crown and is thus not shackled by White Man's Law, Walpole Island has become something of a haven for drug and human traffickers. 

Protestations of sovereignty and immunity fell on deaf ears recently as Ontario Provincial Police capped a major drug trafficking investigation with three arrests and the seizure of more than C$1.28 million (about $928,000 in real  money) in illicit drugs, firearms, stolen vehicles, cash and other property. 

The OPP’s Lambton County Community Street Crime Unit began investigating suspected drug trafficking on Walpole Island First Nation in April. On July 17th, search warrants were executed at two residences in London ON, resulting in the seizure of large quantities of suspected fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, along with multiple firearms, stolen vehicles, Canadian currency and other evidence. 

Two men in their late 20s and a woman, 28, described in Canad's lickspittle media as "London residents", face numerous charges under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Highway Traffic Act. 

Charges included are: possession of prohibited or restricted firearms, possession of property obtained by crime, trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine and opioids, and using or making forged documents. 

Two of the accused were remanded into custody and are scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in London on Friday, after which they will be released. The third (likely the woman) has already been released and is set to appear in court on September 14th. It's the Canadian way.

Regular readers of "Your Sikhs today" may have jumped to the conclusion that the accused are Sikhs. Surprise! They are Pakistan Muslims: ✅Saad Khan ✅Saleh Khan, and ✅Fathima Fahim. Police say the group, whose citizenship status (or lack thereof) was not disclosed was flooding the streets of London, surrounding communities in Lambton County, Native reserves, and the Chatham-Kent region of southern Ontario.

Your Singhs today - Part of the Wedding party nabbed at the border

In a story straight out of Border Security, two graduates of the notorious Singh School of Truck Driving -- Ranjit Singh Rowal and Iqbal Singh Virk -- both "Toronto men", have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and other federal charges in California, in connection with a transnational drug-smuggling conspiracy, allegedly led by former Team Canada Olympian Ryan Wedding.

The Sikh gentlemen are the first Canadians to sign plea deals with US prosecutors following the FBI's "Operation Giant Slalom", a massive investigation revealed last fall. The probe -- named after Mr Wedding's previous career as an elite snowboarder [snowboarder, geddit? Ed.] -- sought to dismantle his alleged drug trafficking network, which uses commercial transport trucks to move tons of cocaine and fentanyl across North America.

The group has also been linked to at least four murders in Ontario. Mr Wedding, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is listed as one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives, with a $10-million reward offered for information leading to his capture. Readers may send their tips to Walt at the usual address, and I will definitely pass them on the relevant authorities.

According to documents recently filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, .Messrs Virk and Rowal have each committed to plead guilty to charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

They were arrested in August of last year as they tried to cross the Blue Water Bridge from Michigan to Sarnia ON, while carrying 95 kg of cocaine bricks and 20 kg of heroin in a secret compartment in the trailer. 

They attempted to conceal the drugs by carrying legal goods and documentation to show the products were meant to be hauled from the US. to Canada. However, CBP agents pulled their truck over for a secondary inspection, where an X-ray scanner and a sniffer dog revealed the "non-factory" compartment.

CBC News discovered that the trailer was registered to a company based in Brampton ON linked to Mr Rowal. A grand jury indictment unsealed last October named him and Mr Virk -- Indian citizens who hold permanent resident status in Canada -- as well as 14 others as members of Mr Wedding's drug ring. 

The indictment said the pair worked on behalf of a transportation network that handled the gang's shipments to Canada. However, the transnational criminal operation didn't always go smoothly. Court documents reveal an internal dispute in May 2024 led to one big drug shipment being called off. 

According to the plea, Messrs Virk and Rowal pulled over at a rest stop in southern California, expecting to receive a 347-kg load of cocaine. Their truck, however, only had room for 250 kg. Through an intermediary, Mr Wedding purportedly offered to pay C$150,000 (about $108,000 in real money) to move the reduced shipment, instead of the agreed rate of $220,000. 

But Gurpreet Singh, a Sikh and allegedly a leader of the transportation network, wouldn't agree to the cut rate.The shipment was called off. Mr Singh and his uncle, Hardeep Singh Ratte, who are accused of co-ordinating cocaine shipments to Canada for Mr Wedding, both remain in custody in Ontario while facing extradition to the US of A. How difficult it must be at the jail when the guards call for "Singh" and everybody stands up!

CBC News recently reported that a historic drug bust in Peel Region, west of Toronto, mirrored the smuggling route used by the Sikh truckers. Peel police (known locally as "boobies") said it's highly likely the Wedding network remains active in the so-called Greater Toronto Area.

Mr Wedding -- alias "Public Enemy", "Giant", "El Jefe", and "The Boss" -- is said to still trafficking drugs while on the run, and to have access to a network of hitmen. The FBI thinks he may be hiding in... wait for it... Mexico, under the protection of the murderous Sinaloa cartel.

Note from Ed.: This is an edited version of a report by Thomas Daigle, of CBC News. Since the Canadian Broadcorping Castration is funded by Canada's very Liberal government, we assume they don't need any money they might get by suing us.