Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Eleven people indicted were arrested, including Robert Scoppa, an alleged Canadian drug trafficker with close ties to the Montreal Italian Mafia, and Guramrit Sidhu, of Canada.
The defendants allegedly conspired to traffic and import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico through Los Angeles for export to Canada or redistribution throughout the U.S.
The investigation, known as Operation Dead Hand, examined this network of “handlers” and “dispatchers” moving these substances. The indictment alleges that Scoppa allegedly purchased the drugs wholesale from cartel-affiliated suppliers in Mexico—then handlers ensured they were loaded onto a long-haul semi-truck. Through coordination with trucking companies, the drugs were delivered across a port of entry into Canada.
“Drug trafficking is a global problem being driven by sophisticated, organized crime groups who put profits over people’s lives,” said Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, during a press conference on January 30. “Motivated by greed, these criminals destroy lives, devastate families, and wreak havoc in our community. But this case shows that we will collaborate with our international partners to bring these criminal networks to justice. Those who traffic in highly addictive and dangerous drugs will be held accountable.”
The operation began in September 2022 and specifically targeted the groups’ leaders.
FBI Los Angeles Supervisory Special Agent Tracy Dockery explained how the Bureau and its partners investigated the criminal organizations from a global perspective, from the source of supply to the customer base—ultimately identifying high-ranking leadership.
“By targeting the highest level of transnational organized crime, the goal was to dismantle and disrupt the global network instead of just the network in Los Angeles that engages in these illicit activities and ultimately reduce the harm to the public that these organizations pose,” said Dockery. “Operation Dead Hand was a model case for this kind of strategy.”
The strategy worked.