In a dramatic takedown that spans continents, U.S. authorities have arrested Indo-Canadian gangster Opinder Singh Sian, alias Thanos, for allegedly orchestrating a massive international drug trafficking network involving precursor chemicals from China, meth shipments to Australia, and ties to global crime syndicates including the Kinahan cartel and Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Sian, allegedly a known figure in Vancouver’s underworld with deep ties to the Brothers Keepers gang, was taken into custody in Arizona in late June, according to newly unsealed U.S. District Court documents. A Nevada judge has since ordered him held pending extradition to California, where the case has been filed.
The 37-year-old is accused of working with international criminal organisations across Canada, Turkey, Ireland, China, and Mexico. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims Sian operated a transnational supply chain, sourcing fentanyl precursor chemicals from China, routing them via Vancouver to Los Angeles, and trafficking hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine to Australia through the Port of Long Beach.
The DEA’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA 48) unit began tracking Sian in 2022 following a tip-off from its Ankara, Turkey office. A confidential informant, posing as an international logistics coordinator, was inserted into the network and gained Sian’s trust. According to the 29-page affidavit, the informant received four major drug drop-offs in Southern California throughout mid-2023:
- 30 lbs of meth on June 22
- 200 lbs on July 6
- 100 lbs on August 21
- 200 lbs on August 28
These shipments were intercepted and replaced with fake drugs embedded with trackers, which were then followed to stash houses in Australia, leading to the arrest of local couriers.
Earlier in June 2025, AFP reported that their two-year multi-agency investigation led to the arrest of 42-year-old Sydney resident Gurvindar Singh, alleged mastermind of a local major syndicate smuggling 20 million illegal cigarettes and nearly half a tonne of drugs, including 50 kg of cocaine and 280 kg of liquid methamphetamine, into Sydney.
Using trusted insiders at port facilities and legitimate freight companies, the network imported contraband from Canada, the UAE, and Panama. The investigation began with a breakthrough in August 2024, when authorities intercepted a meth shipment from Vancouver.
Coordinated raids in southwestern Sydney resulted in Singh’s arrest along with six associates—two of whom are Canadian nationals, 24-year-old Aman Kang and 31-year-old Mani Singh Dhaliwal.
Now, Singh faces a total of five counts of importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and illegal tobacco, two counts of dealing with proceeds of crime, and two counts relating to leading a criminal group. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
Singh’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 31 at the Downing Centre Local Court, where he will be formally arraigned on all charges.
It is reported that Sian allegedly described his connections to Irish organised crime—particularly the Kinahan cartel, Italian mafia, and Mexican cartels. He also allegedly said he obtained precursor chemicals through a Chinese national, who ran a trucking company capable of discreet cross-border transport.
While Sian faces serious federal charges in the U.S., no other suspects named in the documents have been formally charged yet. Canadian authorities are reportedly coordinating with their American counterparts as the case unfolds.
The DEA believes the syndicate Sian helped run is part of a larger threat, as Canada becomes a critical node in the global fentanyl and meth supply chains—raising renewed concerns about transnational drug flows and links between criminal groups and geopolitical entities.
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