Border authorities have deported 111 due to extortion violence since last August
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
OTTAWA – Canadian border authorities say they have deported 111 people since August last year in efforts to combat extortion violence in South Asian communities.
The Canada Border Services Agency says 58 cases were in the Pacific region, 30 were removed from the Prairies and 23 from Greater Toronto.
The agency began dedicating resources to identifying immigration and refugee cases linked to extortion violence in August 2025 in Western Canada and expanded operations to Ontario last November.
The CBSA says its operation is to investigate if foreign nationals implicated in extortion violence have also violated Canadian immigration and refugee laws, removing those with known links to organized crime or other criminal activity.
It highlights recent cases where four men were deported for violating the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with “firearms-related activity,” “serious criminality” and “a pattern of criminal activity.”
A total of 188 removal orders have been issued by the CBSA relating to foreign nationals linked to extortion violence, with 91 in B.C., 47 in the Prairies and 50 in the Greater Toronto Area.
“These investigations are built on information from law enforcement partners, other government agencies, CBSA-led investigations, and public reporting,” the agency release says.
“The CBSA places the highest priority on enforcement and removal of cases involving criminality, organized crime and individuals who pose a risk to public safety.”
A tip line is in place to share information on such cases with border agents.
Surrey, B.C., has been among the hardest hit by the extortion violence in Canada.
Police there say there have been 139 reported extortions so far this year, with 21 cases of shots fired, two arsons and 74 victim.
The CBSA did not identify the home countries of deportees, but authorities across Canada have cited the role of the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang in extortion crime, with the federal government designating it a terrorist group in September last year.
“The Bishnoi gang generates terror in the communities in which they operate through their involvement in extortions and intimidation,” Public Safety Canada says in its listing of the group, which it says “engages in murder, shootings and arson” as it targets diaspora communities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.