Justice officials hope to seize homes, vehicles, jewelry, cash from father, son accused in drug-trafficking operation

A father and son arrested last month are accused of travelling across Canada — and using courier services and Canada Post — to supply their Winnipeg drug-trafficking operation, a recent court filing shows.

Devinder Singh, 57, and his 32-year-old son Tarundev Singh, charged by Winnipeg Police Service organized crime investigators last month, are each accused of several counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and related drug-trafficking offences, court records show.

Tarundev is also charged with several firearms offences.

Details of the pair’s alleged trafficking operation and the ongoing police investigation — dubbed Project Pink Panther — are contained in a lawsuit filed in the Court of King’s Bench by the provincial civil forfeiture office this week.

“Throughout the investigation, Tarundev Singh was observed meeting and associating with convicted high-level drug traffickers and other mid-level drug traffickers,” reads a redacted police investigative summary. “Devinder Singh was observed on numerous occasions meeting with mid-level drug traffickers within Winnipeg, Manitoba.”

Last month police, armed with warrants, searched three homes owned by the Singhs, along with two vehicles.

In a home on Castlebury Meadows Drive in the northwest part of the city, officers found: six kilograms of cocaine, along with some loose cocaine; about nine kilos of methamphetamine; approximately two kilos of MDMA, commonly known as molly; about a kilo of ketamine; approximately 1,700 tabs of LSD; around 100 packages of cannabis edibles; and more than 1,000 fentanyl tablets and more than 5,000 tablets each of oxycodone and hydromorphone.

Officers also found packaging materials, scales, lists of names and money owed, along with numerous firearms and ammunition.

At the Singhs’ Garden City home on Viola Street, police found a kilo of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash, and an additional seven kilos of cocaine in a Cadillac parked outside.

At their nearby house on Balgona Road in the Maples, police found small amounts of other drugs, cellphones, jewelry and more guns and ammunition, along with more cash in a Mercedes-Benz parked outside.

Winnipeg police began investigating Singhs for drug trafficking last December.

The men were importing bulk amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine, among other substances, and redistributing the drugs to city drug dealers, the court filing alleges.

Police conducting physical surveillance of the two men frequently observed them conducting quick meetings in parking lots, side streets or back lanes in which individuals would quickly enter their vehicles, then leave shortly afterward.

The Singhs would then frequently drive in nonsensical routes, the court filing claims, which justice officials says is a counter-surveillance technique.

The two men were also caught travelling to other provinces, either by vehicle or on commercial flights, to source their supply of drugs, the filing alleges.

In Toronto, Tarundev was observed arranging for packages of drugs to be shipped to the house on Balgona Road, where Devinder would pick up the illicit payload, officials claim. Tarundev arranged the shipments under several aliases, including “We Haul Express,” “Shawn Reylan” and “Z. Singh.” He also used Canada Post or courier services to ship cash to his suppliers from Winnipeg, the court filing claims.

On July 25, Devinder drove a Chevrolet Silverado to Calgary to obtain cocaine, justice officials allege. He spent less than 12 hours in the Alberta city before heading back to Winnipeg.

He was speeding on the Trans-Canada Highway when RCMP pulled him over near Oakville, outside Portage la Prairie.

“Devinder provided police with a nonsensical explanation for his trip,” the court filing says.

Mounties arrested him and found five kilograms of cocaine in the truck, which had a “We Haul Express” decal on the side.

Police then obtained the warrants to search the three homes owned by the Singhs, as well as two vehicles, where they made the major drug, gun and cash seizures last month.

The Singhs are due to appear in court on their criminal charges Monday.

The statement of claim also names members of the Singhs’ extended family and two banks as defendants.

Justice officials are asking the court to seize four houses owned by the Singhs — including one on Governor’s Court, also in the northwest part of the city — just under $114,000 in cash, a Mercedes Benz, a Chevrolet Silverado, a Chevrolet Cruze and a Cadillac, along with a Rolex watch, all of which justice officials allege the Singhs either used to commit crimes or obtained with money made by committing crimes.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca