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SoCal Metro worker among several arrested in transnational organized crime case
ABC7 Los Angeles • • general
Key Points:
- Federal authorities arrested multiple individuals, including Metro worker Justin Guzman, in a crackdown on the transnational Bhagwanpuria Organized Crime Ring involved in drug and illegal weapons trafficking.
- Guzman was apprehended at the El Monte Transit Center, and subsequent searches were conducted at two Highland Park residences linked to him.
- The operation, named "Operation Hard Ball," has resulted in 24 arrests across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, targeting a group responsible for extortion, kidnapping, trafficking, money laundering, human smuggling, and murder.
- The crime ring is accused of flooding U.S. and Canadian communities, particularly those with ties to India, with cocaine and methamphetamine, and allegedly orchestrated the 2023 assassination of a Sikh political and religious leader in Canada.
- Authorities have seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash, a dozen firearms, and executed numerous search warrants in the Sacramento and Los Angeles areas.
