The boss of a multi-million dollar drugs company has pleaded guilty to supplying hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs globally.
Banmeet Singh, 40, from Haldwani, India, sold the drugs on dark web markets, before personally shipping them or arranging for them to be shipped from Europe to destinations around the world.
The investigation into Singh was led by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and supported by UK partners including the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and the UK Central Authority. It resulted in the largest seizure of cryptocurrency and cash in DEA history, worth around $150 million.
In 2017, the DEA requested support from the NCA after they identified several distribution cells supplied by Singh's organized crime group (OCG). Individuals in those cells received drug shipments sent directly by Singh, before being repackaged and forwarded to locations in all 50 US states, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, the US Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.
In November 2018, the United States Attorney General designated Singh as a Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT), the leader of one of the most prolific drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the United States.
Working alongside other UK partners, and following a period of surveillance and investigation in the country, NCA officials established that he resided in Coventry and had established a number of pharmaceutical companies in the UK. He led a moderate lifestyle, showed no signs of extreme wealth, and spent part of the year living in India.
He was arrested by NCA officers at his home address in Sunbeam Way on April 26, 2019. Searches at the property uncovered cold storage wallets and recovery seeds for cryptocurrency accounts, which later proved crucial to the investigation.
Singh was extradited to the United States on March 19, 2023, although he initially opposed the request by filing an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
As part of his plea deal, he agreed to hand over the proceeds of his illegal activity, estimated to be worth approximately $150 million.
Singh is the eighth OCG member convicted of drug trafficking charges in the United States.
Rick Mackenzie, NCA Operations Manager, said: โSingh's conviction is the culmination of several years of close cooperation between the NCA and the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
โIn addition to securing his arrest and extradition, NCA officers gathered vital evidence showing the extent of the crimes committed by Singh and the lengths to which he went to conceal the profits he made.
"His guilty plea today is due to the dedicated work of all partners involved in this case, underscoring the importance of international cooperation to disrupt and bring to justice all those involved in the global drug supply."
January 26, 2024
