At a time when Indian-origin truck drivers are dominating headlines in the US for horrific accidents, a major cargo theft ring has been busted in California, with 12 men charged, including 11 ‘Singhs’. Referred to as ‘Singh Organization’ by the cops, the group acquired or fraudulently used real trucking companies to bid on shipping contracts. When they won these bids, they used to take possession of the cargo that was to be shipped, but instead of delivering it to the right destination, they diverted it and stole it. They sold the cargo thorugh black market channels and earned millions of dollars. The freight mostly inlcuded electronics, appliances and other high-value consumer goods. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said the fraud went on between March 2021 and June 2025.
List of the 12 men arrested:
- Paramvir Singh, 29, resident of Rancho Cucamonga
- Sandeep Singh, 31, resident of San Bernardino
- Mandeep Singh, 42, resident of Bakersfield
- Ranjodh Singh, 38, resident of Bakersfield
- Gurnaik Singh Chauhan, 40, resident of Fontana
- Harpreet Singh, 26, resident of Rancho Cucamonga
- Elgar Hernandez, 27, resident of Fontana
- Arshpreet Singh, 27, resident of Rancho Cucamonga
- Bikramjeet Singh, 27, resident of Sacramento
- Vikramjeet Singh, 30, resident of Fontana
- Himmat Singh Khalsa, 28, resident of Renton, Washington
- Narayan Singh, 27, resident of Fontana
“The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, FBI-Riverside Inland Violent Crime Suppression Task Force, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Fontana Police Department, California Highway Patrol-CTIP, and other law enforcement agencies,” the Sheriff’s Department said. All 12 were federally indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit theft from interstate or foreign shipments and criminal forfeiture.
Sikh truck drivers and California on the radar
21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh was arrested on October 21 after he caused a deadly pile-up crash in California. He was found to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash that killed three people. It has been found out that Singh is an illegal immigrant from India, as he was issued a Commercial Driver’s License by California. Before Jashanpreet, it was 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, who caused an accident in Florida. Harjinder Singh also got his license from California.
