Overview
- An Edmonton police investigator testified Thursday that a letter delivered to an Abbotsford police station on Aug. 13, 2025 said the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had “upwards of 1,000” operatives ready to carry out shootings as part of extortion campaigns.
- Abbotsford police confirmed they received the letter and shared its contents with federal and provincial partners as detectives in Operation Community Shield began probing its origins.
- Investigators say extortion demands are made over WhatsApp, then followed by drive‑by shootings or property attacks when victims refuse to pay a so‑called “tax,” and they allege many alleged shooters are recent arrivals on student or temporary‑worker visas.
- Canada designated the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity in September 2025 and the Canada Border Services Agency has opened hundreds of immigration investigations, issued removal orders and carried out deportations as a main tool against suspected foot soldiers.
- Police cite key obstacles to criminal prosecutions—end‑to‑end encryption, international phone numbers, voice‑matching needs and guns moved quickly between provinces—and the unresolved dispute over links to the 2023 Nijjar killing has strained Canada‑India relations and raised community fears.