ISI-Khalistan Drug Nexus In Canada: A Geopolitical Crime Engine, Warn Intelligence Sources

Last Updated:July 23, 2025, 13:56 IST

Pakistan ISI is believed to have designed and now oversees a sophisticated narco-terrorism funding pipeline.

Peel Regional Police seized 479 kilograms of cocaine valued at $47.9 million and arrested nine individuals. (Image: X/Peel Police)

The ISI–Khalistan drug nexus has evolved beyond a security threat into a multi-billion-dollar geopolitical industry, top intelligence sources have warned. These operations weaponise narcotics trafficking, diaspora politics, and Western legal loopholes to undermine India and its allies. According to intelligence officials, this syndicate is now acting as a powerful transnational cartel franchise under the strategic direction of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

ISI is believed to have designed and now oversees a sophisticated narco-terrorism funding pipeline. Intelligence sources assert this pipeline links Afghan heroin and Mexican cocaine through Canadian Khalistani extremists, using the proceeds to fund anti-India activities such as arms procurement, propaganda campaigns, and lobbying.

Major Drug Busts Reveal the Network’s Scale

A major breakthrough came during Project Pelican, where Canadian police seized 479 kilograms of Mexican cocaine worth $47.9 million. Intelligence officials confirmed the shipment was routed via US–Canada trucking networks, facilitated by Khalistani operatives acting on ISI guidance.

In 2023, Canadian authorities busted the Randhawa Super-Lab in British Columbia. Intelligence sources revealed the $485 million facility was producing fentanyl, meth, and cocaine at industrial scale — comparable to Mexican cartel operations. The lab was capable of producing 95 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. RCMP investigators linked the lab to Khalistani networks, operating under the pretext of political activism.

Criminal Fronts with Political Camouflage

One key figure identified by intelligence is Surrey-based gangster Opinder Sian, closely associated with pro-Khalistan groups. Sian allegedly ran a global methamphetamine network, importing Chinese chemical precursors via Peng Zhou, manufacturing in Canada, and exporting through Los Angeles. Intelligence sources revealed his collaboration with Irish, Italian, and Mexican cartels created a global narco-web.

Afghan heroin, smuggled by ISI handlers, is being funneled through Khalistani networks in Canada. Intelligence inputs indicate these profits are used not only to fund Khalistan secessionist activities but also to support Taliban operations, forming a dual-purpose destabilisation model targeting both India and NATO interests.

Canada’s Infrastructure and Laws Enable the Nexus

Intelligence reports highlight that Vancouver ports — receiving large volumes of Chinese goods — are central to this pipeline. Punjabi gangs dominate the trucking routes across the US border and exploit Canada’s liberal laws protecting extremist speech to maintain cover.

Intelligence assessments indicate that narcotics proceeds are laundered through a combination of real estate investments, gurdwara donations, separatist referendums, and protest events. The 2024 unveiling of a Tamil Eelam monument in Brampton was cited as an example of how extremist fundraising masquerades as ethnic activism.

Political Shielding and Transnational Laundering

The laundering infrastructure in Vancouver and Toronto includes underground banking, cash-heavy logistics firms, and family-run businesses tied to extremist ideologies. Cross-border trucking — dominated by Punjabi cartels — facilitates the movement of drugs and arms, with secure storage hubs in Toronto and Windsor.

Intelligence agencies have also flagged ISI-linked financiers such as Haji Salim, a Dawood Ibrahim aide, as key intermediaries routing funds to both Khalistani and Tamil separatist groups. Political cover is allegedly secured by figures like Bilal Cheema, who, sources claim, has funneled money to Canadian politicians to shield the criminal-separatist alliance.

According to top intelligence sources, pro-Khalistan lobbyists exploit Liberal Party patronage and immigration loopholes, embedding this ideological-criminal hybrid deep into Canada’s political and economic ecosystem.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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