Two Indian truck drivers arrested in US with cocaine

In US, two Indian-origin truck drivers have been arrested in California, after the authorities seized 309 pounds of cocaine, valued at approximately $7 million, hidden inside their semi-truck. The accused, Gurpreet Singh, 25 and Jasveer Singh, 30 were arrested on January 3. While the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has put a hold on deportation of both the men with federal officials saying the amount of cocaine seized was enough to kill more than 1,13,000 Americans. The arrest comes amid the ongoing legal and political battle over the issuance and revocation of commercial driver’s licences (CDLs) for immigrant truckers in California.

Police say that Jasveer Singh first claimed he was driving an empty tractor-trailer to a restaurant in Richmond to wait for a load. But officers became suspicious when they noticed several cardboard boxes hidden under a blanket in the truck’s sleeper area. A police dog (K-9) then detected the smell of illegal drugs, and a search of the vehicle uncovered the cocaine. Officials added that the arrests match previous Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records about the men’s entry into the U.S. and their immigration status. Both suspects have been charged with dealing narcotics, which is treated as a Level 2 felony. Indiana Governor Mike Braun praised the state police for the seizure and repeated that Indiana has a zero-tolerance policy for drug trafficking. Both individuals were given Commercial Drivers' Licenses issued by the state of California.

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, "These two criminal illegal aliens were granted commercial driver's licenses by the state of California and were arrested for trafficking a whopping 300 pounds of cocaine inside a semi-truck. Sanctuary policies put American lives at risk. ICE law enforcement lodged detainers to ensure these drug traffickers are not allowed back into American communities.”

The DHS added that Gurpreet Singh illegally entered the United States on March 11, 2023, near Lukeville, Arizona and accessed the country under the Biden administration. Notably, Singh freely admitted to law enforcement that he was a citizen of India and was illegally staying in the US. Jasveer Singh illegally entered the U.S. on March 21, 2017, near Otay Mesa, California. He was arrested on December 5 this year for receiving stolen property in San Bernardino,California. "Due to Governor Newsom’s sanctuary polices, the detainer was not honoured, and this criminal illegal alien was released back into American communities,’’ DHS stated and added that Indiana seizure highlights the use of commercial trucking routes by drug trafficking networks.