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The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has deported two men as police investigate a resurgence of extortion in Alberta.
The Edmonton Police Service said a joint forces operation called Project Al Extortion was launched in 2025 with Alberta RCMP, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) and the border agency to investigate a new series of violent extortions.
Police said suspects were targeting South Asian businesses in Edmonton, while at the same time RCMP in surrounding communities were looking into similar complaints.
EPS said it began to see a small resurgence in alleged extortion incidents after Project Gaslight concluded in 2024.
“We stopped these extortions in the Edmonton area for approximately seven months,” said Edmonton police criminal investigations division Supt. Robinder Gill.
“In the spring of 2025, we saw a cluster of these extortion events now re-emerge.”
Since 2024, when extortions by South Asians against members of their own cultural community began to make headlines, police learned more about the activities of the organized crime groups behind it.
“We know that this crime type is evolving here in Canada. We also know that these organized crime groups are highly adaptable and they are constantly evolving in their tactics,” Gill said.
“The structure of these groups is a tiered, predatory network of organized crime where the risk is local, the revenue is global, and the fallout is the erosion of the very trust that holds the Southeast Asian community together.”
Police began working with other law enforcement agencies to more effectively investigate crimes occurring across multiple jurisdictions.
“Through these partnerships, we shared investigative strategies, intelligence, operational tactics, and investigative resources,” Gill said.
Project Al Extortion identified five suspects in the Edmonton area, who were arrested.
Some had alleged links to South Asian business extortions in Calgary, the B.C. Lower Mainland and Ontario.
“Individuals and groups who commit extortion-related crimes and threaten the safety of our communities are not restricted by provincial borders,” said Chief Supt. Duncan Pound with the Lower Mainland District RCMP.
The 22-year-old alleged Edmonton ringleader and another 25-year-old man were deemed to be illegally in Canada and were deported earlier this winter.
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Gill said it’s made a difference.
“Since we have the removal of our two main suspects and have people in custody, there has been no extortions in relation to this group in the Edmonton region.”
Arshdeep Singh (left), was removed from Canada on January 19, 2026. Sukhnaaz Singh Sandu (right), was removed from Canada on February 3, 2026.
Courtesy: Canada Border Services Agency
The two deported men were identified by the CBSA as Arshdeep Singh and Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu.
Singh entered Canada on a student visa in 2022. The CBSA said it arrested and detained Singh in November 2025, and reported him inadmissible in Canada over membership in a criminal organization linked to extortion, arson, drug trafficking, and firearm offences.
In December, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) also found him inadmissible due to organized crime activity and issued a deportation order.
Singh was considered a flight risk, and was kept in immigration detention until being escorted out of Canada on Jan. 19.
Sukhnaaz Singh Sandhu had been in Canada for a decade after arriving as a temporary resident in 2016.
In November 2025, he was arrested by the CBSA under the same grounds as Sandhu, and was issued the same verdict.
Sandhu was also deemed a flight risk, so he remained in immigration detention until he Feb. 3, when the CBSA said it removed him from Canada under escort.
The other three people are under CBSA immigration investigation. The agency said it has been monitoring immigration files potentially linked to extortion cases since last August.
As of March 12, the CBSA has opened 372 immigration investigations, issued 70 removal orders and removed 35 people from Canada.
In Edmonton, police said beside the five suspects who have been arrested, an additional 51 suspects have been linked to the criminal network involved in the extortions.
“These groups weaponize community ties, find victims, effectively poisoning the social fabric of the Southeast Asian community,” Gill said.
“The organized crime groups exploit the cultural nuances and the language to target families who have worked in some cases, many generations here, to build a safe haven in Canada.”
Those arrested as part of Project Al Extortion are connected to a different suspect wanted for allegedly shooting up an acreage west of Edmonton in Parkland County last fall.
“We are aware of the Parkland County warrant. There is an association to this network, so yeah, there is a linkage,” Gill said.
EPS said investigators found the criminal networks are recruiting newly-arrived young South Asian newcomers, like foreign students and workers, to help extort or commit petty crimes.
For example, police said students or foreign workers are recruited into fraud schemes such as filing false vehicle theft reports, meanwhile turning their vehicle over to the criminal network.
“We want these potential recruits to know that whether you are the one directing extortions, communicating extortions, committing arsons or other violent acts, or engaging in fraud, police can arrest you,” said Acting Staff Sgt. Darren Coon with the EPS drug and gang enforcement (EDGE) unit.
“Claiming ignorance is not a defence, and you could face criminal charges, jail time, and/or removal from the country.”
Police urge anyone who is targeted by extortion attempts, which typically involve threats or demands to make payment using messaging platforms like WhatsApp, to take the following steps:
- Do not respond to the threatening communication
- Preserve evidence by taking screen shots of incoming calls or messages
- Contact police immediately
- If you are concerned for your immediate safety, find a safe place to stay, such as a friend or family member’s home, until police can reach you
Gill stressed community members who are threatened need to come forward to police.
“We want to hear from you. You’re a big piece of the puzzle. For police to take action and for us to solve these extortions, three things must occur: if you’re threatened, do not respond. Preserve the evidence, including screenshots and messages, and contact police immediately.
“You need to report. It’s essential.”
As a result of the investigation, police said they also seized four vehicles and nine firearms.
Police said they continue investigative and enforcement efforts targeting the 51 suspects and cases will continue to be referred as needed to the CBSA.
The border service said the public can report suspicious immigration activities through the Border Watch Line or by calling 1-888-502-9060.
“For individuals who are considering reporting extortion-related activities, it is important to know that doing so does not automatically place your own immigration status at risk,” stressed Kristine Conroy with the Canada Border Services Agency.
“Criminal matters always take precedence over immigration matters.”
Several people have been convicted as a result of the Edmonton police’s Project Gaslight investigation.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
