Brian Da Costa, a drug trafficker accused of bribing Toronto cops in Project South, has been ordered not to contact Gurpreet Singh, a co-accused of cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding. (James Conrad King, Jesse King) Gurpreet Singh is one of 35 names listed on a no-contact list included in Da Costa’s release order.
Singh was one of four men in Ontario arrested in October 2024 as accomplices of Ryan Wedding. He was denied bail.
Singh and his uncle did at least two shipments, totalling more than 650kg of cocaine, from California to Canada for Wedding’s network. The pair agreed to move the drugs for a rate of $220k per truck load.
The Sandher Crime Family Operation was tied to Ryan Wedding. Wedding faces 17 felony counts, including running a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine, witness intimidation and conspiring to murder a potential witness.
Wedding faces a maximum sentence of life. The death penalty is on the table.
The fall of Wedding means the fall of the Sandhers is imminent. Ryan Wedding, and ALL the Sandhers, may face spending the rest of their lives at Florence Admax. Gurtaj Singh Sandher, Bir Singh Sandher, Prabtaj Singh Sandher will eventually be busted, probably by the Americans.
In the world of transnational organized crime, a fruit-packing business like the Sandhers' is a "gold mine" for a narcotics kingpin like Wedding for three reasons:
1) The Chemical Loophole: Large-scale fruit operations use vast amounts of industrial chemicals. Shipping precursors like N-Boc-3-pyrrolidinone or Deoxo-Fluor (found in Enderby) is much easier when mixed with legitimate agricultural supplies.
2) The Shipping Infrastructure: The Sandhers have an international export network. For a cartel, having a "clean" packing house to hide drugs in crates of fruit is a classic, highly effective smuggling method.
3) The "Clean" Face: The Sandher family’s recent legal victory against blogger Daryl MacAskill (which labeled his cartel allegations as "extortion") actually gave them a "court-ordered shield." Wedding likely saw this as the perfect cover: a business that had already been "cleared" by the B.C. Supreme Court of the very things they were actually doing.
In the Okanagan, building a $50m facility requires a massive capital investment that the local fruit market simply cannot support.
- The Disconnect: If they weren't known for high-quality fruit and were receiving the same rates as other growers, they would have had no way to service the debt on a $50 million building through agriculture alone.
- The "Front" Logic: For a transnational organization like Ryan Wedding’s, a packing house is not about fruit; it’s about volume and logistics. Having a high-capacity facility allows for the movement of heavy machinery, industrial chemicals, and international shipping containers (which could hide drugs or precursors) under the guise of "upgrading equipment" or "shipping fruit."
There are 3 legal hurdles that the Sandhers have used to stay ahead of the BC Civil Forfeiture Office:
1) The 'Handshake' Narrative: Bill Sandher has publicly stated that his first orchard was bought on a "handshake deal" with no payments for 12 years. This creates a "legend" of debt-free accumulation that makes it harder for the government to pinpoint exactly when "unexplained" money entered the books.
2) The Defamation Win: By winning a default judgment against blogger Daryl MacAskill in December 2025, the Sandhers legally branded any talk of "cartel money" as extortion and lies. This forced the RCMP to restart their evidence-gathering from scratch to avoid looking like they were relying on "fabricated" blog posts.
3) The "Ghost" Protection: As long as Ryan Wedding (James Conrad King) isn't caught, the Sandhers can claim they have no relationship with him.
The "Fruit on the Trees" Red Flag
Leaving fruit to rot while claiming "no market" is a classic sign of a tax-write-off or a "neglect" tactic.
- Legitimate growers fight for every cent; they don't let a month's work rot if they have a $50m mortgage to pay.
- The Laundering Theory: If the business is actually being funded by the $15 billion Wedding network, the fruit is a nuisance. Letting it rot proves they don't care about agricultural revenue, which is a primary indicator for FINTRAC that the business is a shell for another income stream.
The financial and structural anomalies at the Sandher Fruit Packers facility on Old Vernon Road are not just community rumors; they are documented in regional records and align with a pattern of "rapid, high-capital development" that lacks a clear agricultural justification.
The history of that specific $50m packing house shows a disregard for standard regulatory procedures that is typical of "unlimited capital" projects.
1. The 2019 Stop-Work Orders
Official records from the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) confirm that in 2019, Sandher Fruit Packers was hit with two stop-work orders.
- The Violation: The company began construction on a "massive building" (estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 square feet) without submitting engineered drawings or site plans.
- The "Brazen" Factor: Usually, a $50 million project involves years of permitting. Construction starting before even submitting drawings suggests the owners were in a massive rush and were willing to pay fines (though the fines were a mere $100–$150) to keep building.
- The Scaling: This was happening right as Ryan Wedding’s "Snow King" organization was scaling up its precursor distribution network in the BC Interior.
2. The Effluent and Wastewater "Cover"
Between 2017 and 2024, the facility has been fined repeatedly (including a $78,000 fine in April 2024 and a $32,000 fine in 2022) for unauthorized wastewater discharge.
- Why this matters: Large packing houses use "fruit wash" as a reason to discharge massive amounts of liquid. In a "super lab" context, disposing of chemical byproduct is the hardest part of the process. If a facility already has a reputation for "messy" waste management and is constantly fighting the Ministry of Environment over "mystery discharge," it provides a perfect environment to hide the disposal of toxic chemicals used in drug production.
3. The "No Market" Anomaly
The observation about fruit being left to rot this year is a massive economic red flag.
- The Bankruptcy Comparison: In late 2024/early 2025, the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative collapsed, leaving hundreds of growers in financial ruin.
- The Sandher Outlier: Despite the "no market" claim, the Sandhers have continued to acquire property and maintain a lifestyle of supercars. If they weren't making money from the fruit—and were even letting it rot—the $1 billion property portfolio must be serviced by a different, invisible revenue stream.
4. The Construction Funding Mystery
There is no record of the Sandhers receiving the massive provincial or federal subsidies (like the Tree Fruit Replant Program) that would be required to fund a $50 million facility.
- The "Handshake" Legend: Bill Sandher often tells the story of buying his first orchard on a 12-year "no payment" handshake deal. While a nice story, it doesn't explain how a family goes from that to a billion-dollar empire in an industry where everyone else is failing.
Hairy fuzzball Ian Holliday is an associate producer of digital content for CTV News Vancouver. He began working with CTV News as an intern in July 2014. Ken Molgat is CTV Vancouver's Okanagan Bureau Chief. Both criminals have taken Sandher grease to write stories favourable to the Sandher Crime Family's interests. By serving Sandher interests they serve the interests of the terrorist designated Sinaloa Cartel.
Kent@NowMediaGroup.ca
The pair of dirty reporters could face indictable offenses that carry 10 years in jail. When not taking grease from the fentanyl producer Sandhers, the Molgats run The View Winery in Kelowna. info@theviewwinery.com
richard.gray@bellmedia.ca
Richard Gray Vice-President, CTV News is responsible for maintaining ethics, which are described as "Our journalists act with honesty, transparency, and independence, including from conflicts of interest." David Hughes is
Director and Senior Managing Editor.
David.hughes@bellmedia.ca
Founded in 1971, CTV News is from Bell Media, part of BCE.
On January 1, 2023 Ethan Faber, the News Director for CTV News Vancouver, penned an opinion column on his CTVNews.ca entitled: “We will not be intimidated: A New Year’s message from our newsroom” He vigorously defended his colleagues and the journalism profession in general against what he perceives as unfair attacks. He had a problem with reporters being compared to a virus, or vermin. Here. ethan.faber@bellmedia.ca
Canada’s spy agency is warning that a small but militant group of Sikhs are using the country as a base for promoting, fundraising and planning violence in India. In its annual report to Parliament in June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said homegrown extremists represent only a small group among Sikhs. Sikh extremists in Canada “continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests,” CSIS is signalling that the threat from Khalistan extremists is real and should be taken seriously. Here.
"CSIS highlighting it means it’s become a priority item, that the threat is serious and they want to raise awareness about it. Clearly, this stuff is going on, and they want the public to know about it”
"Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh was born on 11th October 1977 to the blessed womb of mother ..." So begins the terrorist propaganda about Hardeep Singh Nijjar at https://1984tribute.com/. Here.
Nijjar arrived in Canada on Feb 10 1997, using a fraudulent passport that identified him as 'Ravi Sharma'. He made a refugee claim.
His claims of being tortured by Indian police was debunked as fraud. 11 days after his claim was denied, Nijjar married a woman who sponsored his immigration. Nijjar became a Canadian citizen on 25 May 2007. He was involved in Sikhs for Justice. Nijjar joined the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) in 2013 as an aide to Jagtar Singh Tara. He became boss of the KTF in 2015 after Tara was re-arrested. In 2016, Nijjar was placed on Canada's No Fly List and had his bank accounts frozen. Nijjar became the leader of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey in 2019.
Nijjar was executed June 18, 2023 in Surrey by thugs from the Bishnoi gang.
Jagtar Singh Tara was charged for two murders in the 90s but was aquitted. He was charged in the assassination of 12th Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh. On 31 August 1995, Dilawar Singh Babbar, a human bomb assassinated Beant Singh by blowing up his bullet-proof car in Chandigarh. 17 people were killed and 15 others injured.
Tara was convicted and given a death penalty. Tara appealed to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which in October 2010 converted his death penalty to life. In 2004, he escaped from the maximum security jail at Burail, along with two other Sikhs. Tara left for Thailand after hiding in Pakistan for many years. He was busted in 2015. He is imprisoned at Tihar Jail, New Delhi.
Bir Singh Sandher was a very close associate of Tara.
Tara was member of militant Babbar Khalsa International at the time of the assassination of Beant Singh. The KTF was founded in 2011 by Tara. The current leader of the KTF is Arshdeep Singh Gill (Arsh Dalla). He is the first cousin of Bir Singh Sandher and related to the orchardist Gills in Kelowna. In 2018, Gill fled to Canada to avoid charges aided by a corrupt Punjab cop who helped him obtain a fraudulent passport. Gill married a Canadian citizen in 2018 to avoid deportation. He became an aide to KTF leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and boss in 2023 on Nijjar's death.
Senior members and top two decision makers of the KTF are Bir Singh Sandher and Gurjit Singh Jhajj. These are the men behind the Falkland lab bust, the largest, most sophisticated illicit lab ever seen in Canadian history. A total of 6 fentanyl labs have been busted in B.C. in the past 8 months.
Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa is negotiating a plea deal. His file (257168) was sealed April 30 and there has always been a publication ban. Time IS running out for the scum behind the largest illicit lab ever found in Canada, the Sandher Crime family.
Randhawa had another bail hearing scheduled for March 28, 2025, his 5th. Its likely the matter was removed from the list because he did not appear. If that happened it suggests a deal has been struck putting Randhawa into witness protection. Gurtaj Singh Sandher in particular has many reasons to worry.
Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa must have realized that ratting everyone out is his only way of staying alive. The pen surely won't work and even PC (protected custody) is problematic.
Randhawa is the only man charged in the Falkland lab bust, the largest drug lab in Canadian history. Randhawa is in serious jeopardy, and if released he is a large hit target. Randhawa must be silenced. There is no way the Sinaloa Cartel and Edgar Watson could allow Randhawa to bust upper management. See ----->Falkland Lab Bust
Edgar Watson - Sinaloa Cartel
Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa, 32, is from Jalandhar in Punjab. He faces 7 charges including drugs, weapons and explosives. Randhawa is a Jatt clan found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
Kabal Randhawa
The Randhawa brothers in Vernon are connected to the Sandhers. Palwinder Randhawa (palwinder1980@hotmail.com) and Kabal Randhawa touted Sandher in the press on Sept 9, 2024. They are orchardists at 7467 Baker Hogg Road in Vernon. "The closure of BC Tree Fruits was scary for our family farm. Growing fruit these days is challenging and losing our packing and distribution partner made things even harder," said Kabal Randhawa of Randhawa orchards. "The kindness shown by Sandher Fruit Packers has given me hope that we can get through this." The Randhawas last produced a miniscule 400 bins with BCTF. That is less than 5 acres.
The Randhawas collected $13,898 from taxpayers to 'provide a youth with some work experience ...' Here
Palwinder Randhawa
The haul of drugs from the Falkland superlab was destined for Australia and New Zealand. Australia is one of the most lucrative markets in the world for meth. Prices can reach $185k per kilo.
The B.C. director of civil forfeiture filed a forfeiture claim January 31, 2025 against the property at 5011 Hoath Road in Falkland. Equipment included a mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph, an industrial power generator, a trailer and a flat deck. The Sandhers leased the ground from Michael Driehuyzen. Sandher lawyer Bert Tonsoo (rtonsoo@bensonlawllp.com) drafted the lease agreement.
Named in the claim are Michael Driehuyzen and Gaganpreet Singh Randhawa. Driehuyzen had nothing to say, and told Global News to contact his lawyer.
Criminal defence lawyer Joel Whysall isn't talking either. He does say Driehuyzen's Charter rights were violated. joel@mwcrimlaw.com
In 2015 and 2016 cops busted pot grow ops at the property.
1) The 'Handshake' Narrative: Bill Sandher has publicly stated that his first orchard was bought on a "handshake deal" with no payments for 12 years. This creates a "legend" of debt-free accumulation that makes it harder for the government to pinpoint exactly when "unexplained" money entered the books.
2) The Defamation Win: By winning a default judgment against blogger Daryl MacAskill in December 2025, the Sandhers legally branded any talk of "cartel money" as extortion and lies. This forced the RCMP to restart their evidence-gathering from scratch to avoid looking like they were relying on "fabricated" blog posts.
3) The "Ghost" Protection: As long as Ryan Wedding (James Conrad King) isn't caught, the Sandhers can claim they have no relationship with him.
The "Fruit on the Trees" Red Flag
- The Laundering Theory: If the business is actually being funded by the $15 billion Wedding network, the fruit is a nuisance. Letting it rot proves they don't care about agricultural revenue, which is a primary indicator for FINTRAC that the business is a shell for another income stream.
The financial and structural anomalies at the Sandher Fruit Packers facility on Old Vernon Road are not just community rumors; they are documented in regional records and align with a pattern of "rapid, high-capital development" that lacks a clear agricultural justification.
Official records from the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) confirm that in 2019, Sandher Fruit Packers was hit with two stop-work orders.
- The Violation: The company began construction on a "massive building" (estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 square feet) without submitting engineered drawings or site plans.
- The "Brazen" Factor: Usually, a $50 million project involves years of permitting. Construction starting before even submitting drawings suggests the owners were in a massive rush and were willing to pay fines (though the fines were a mere $100–$150) to keep building.
- The Scaling: This was happening right as Ryan Wedding’s "Snow King" organization was scaling up its precursor distribution network in the BC Interior.
2. The Effluent and Wastewater "Cover"
Between 2017 and 2024, the facility has been fined repeatedly (including a $78,000 fine in April 2024 and a $32,000 fine in 2022) for unauthorized wastewater discharge.
- Why this matters: Large packing houses use "fruit wash" as a reason to discharge massive amounts of liquid. In a "super lab" context, disposing of chemical byproduct is the hardest part of the process. If a facility already has a reputation for "messy" waste management and is constantly fighting the Ministry of Environment over "mystery discharge," it provides a perfect environment to hide the disposal of toxic chemicals used in drug production.
3. The "No Market" Anomaly
The observation about fruit being left to rot this year is a massive economic red flag.
- The Bankruptcy Comparison: In late 2024/early 2025, the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative collapsed, leaving hundreds of growers in financial ruin.
- The Sandher Outlier: Despite the "no market" claim, the Sandhers have continued to acquire property and maintain a lifestyle of supercars. If they weren't making money from the fruit—and were even letting it rot—the $1 billion property portfolio must be serviced by a different, invisible revenue stream.
4. The Construction Funding Mystery
There is no record of the Sandhers receiving the massive provincial or federal subsidies (like the Tree Fruit Replant Program) that would be required to fund a $50 million facility.
- The "Handshake" Legend: Bill Sandher often tells the story of buying his first orchard on a 12-year "no payment" handshake deal. While a nice story, it doesn't explain how a family goes from that to a billion-dollar empire in an industry where everyone else is failing.
