A Canadian national who headed a truck-hauling network that moved almost 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine worth up to $17 million from locations in the United States for export to Canada was sentenced Thursday to 20 years behind bars.
Read more Graham Platner withdraws from Maine Senate race, kicking off Democrats’ quest for nominee
Guramrit Sidhu, 63, of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty in March in downtown Los Angeles to one federal count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
According to his plea agreement, Sidhu — nicknamed “King” — orchestrated the distribution of eight separate drug loads, totaling nearly 1,150 pounds of methamphetamine and 765 pounds of cocaine, which had an estimated wholesale value of $15 million to $17 million.
After buying bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the United States, Sidhu arranged for the narcotics’ transportation into Canada via long-haul semi-trucks for further distribution. Sidhu provided telephone numbers and serial numbers on bills of currency for couriers to use for identification purposes during the delivery and transportation of the drugs, documents show.
Read more Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani scratched from start, will miss All-Star Game
Sidhu and co-conspirators then retrieved the cocaine and methamphetamine from locations within Canada for further distribution.
Sidhu is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in Los Angeles federal court in the case. Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to nine years.
The Justice Department worked with the Canadian authorities to secure the arrest and October 2024 extradition of Sidhu.
Read more Detroit-Canada bridge to open by late July after delay due to issues between countries, sources say