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Three Indian-origin men sentenced in London organised crime drug case -
Three Indian-origin men sentenced in London organised crime drug case -
June 26, 2026
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A Metropolitan Police investigation into a west London organised crime network has led to three Indian-origin men being sentenced to over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine. Among them, Purshotam Dhillon, a serving magistrate at the time, received seven years for abusing his position of trust.
Published Date – 26 June 2026, 11:35 PM
London:
A Metropolitan Police investigation into a “sophisticated” west London organised crime network dealing in heroin and crack cocaine has resulted in three Indian-origin men being sentenced to a total of over 22 years.
Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest and allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday.
Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months and Bikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months.
“This was a complex and far-reaching investigation that uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supp…
Indian-origin magistrate among three jailed in London for running 'sophisticated' drugs network
Indian-origin magistrate among three jailed in London for running 'sophisticated' drugs network
Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence.
Three Indian-origin men sentenced in London organised crime drug ...
Three Indian-origin men sentenced in London organised crime drug ...
A Metropolitan Police investigation into a west London organised crime network has led to three Indian-origin men being sentenced to over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine. Among them, Purshotam Dhillon, a serving magistrate at the time, received seven years for abusing his position of trust.
London:A Metropolitan Police investigation into a “sophisticated” west London organised crime network dealing in heroin and crack cocaine has resulted in three Indian-origin men being sentenced to a total of over 22 years.
Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest and allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday.
Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months and Bikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months.
“This was a complex and far-reaching investigation that uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supplying significant quantities of Class A (banned) drugs across L…
Indian-origin magistrate among three jailed in London for running ...
Indian-origin magistrate among three jailed in London for running ...
Three men of Indian origin have been sentenced to a total of over 22 years following a police investigation into a "sophisticated" organised crime network operating in west London that was allegedly involved in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
One of the accused, Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday. He used his position to facilitate the illegal operation, news agency PTI reported.
The other two accused, Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, and Bikramjit Brar, 46, were sentenced to a term of 12 years and six months and three years and four months, respectively.
"This was a complex and far-reaching investigation that uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supplying significant quantities of Class A (banned) drugs across London," said Detective Inspector (DI) Mark Gavin, from the Met's Specialist Crime unit, according to PTI.
"The team's extensive work enabled us to identify, disrupt and dismantle a group whose actions would ha…
Three Indian-Origin Men Jailed in London for Running Sophisticated Drug ...
Three Indian-Origin Men Jailed in London for Running Sophisticated Drug ...
Three Indian-origin men have been sentenced to a combined prison term of more than 22 years after a major investigation uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking network operating across west London.
Among those convicted was Purshotam Dhillon, 59, a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest. Dhillon was sentenced to seven years in prison by Croydon Crown Court after prosecutors proved he abused his position of public trust to assist the criminal operation.
Breaking It Down
What are the recent trends in drug trafficking methods?
How has law enforcement adapted to drug trafficking challenges?
What impact do drug networks have on local communities?
Created with AI. Errors are possible
The network's alleged leader, Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, received a sentence of 12 years and six months, while Bikramjit Brar, 46, was jailed for three years and four months.
According to London's Metropolitan Police, the organised crime group supplied significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine across the capital between October 2024 and July 2025. Investigators estimated the operation distributed…
Three Indian-origin men jailed in London for running £174,000 drugs network
Three Indian-origin men jailed in London for running £174,000 drugs network
In a significant crackdown, authorities have dismantled a large drug trafficking operation in London, orchestrated by incarcerated dealer Hardeep Thind. Three men of Indian descent, including an active magistrate, received prison sentences for their involvement in distributing cocaine and heroin worth £174,000. Following Thind's release, the illegal network expanded, prompting police to conduct thorough investigations, resulting in numerous arrests and convictions.
Three Indian-Origin Men Sentenced for Operating Drug Network in West London
Three Indian-Origin Men Sentenced for Operating Drug Network in West London
Three Indian-Origin Men Sentenced for Operating Drug Network in West London
Analysed
26 Jun 2026
·
3
source
s
analysed
·
London, United Kingdom
·
Crime
76
LENS
Previous
Next
Three Indian-origin men were sentenced to over 22 years in total for running a sophisticated drug network in west London supplying heroin and crack cocaine. Purshotam Dhillon, a serving magistrate at the time, received seven years for abusing his position to facilitate the operation. Hardeep Thind was sentenced to 12 years and six months, and Bikramjit Brar to three years and four months. The Metropolitan Police investigation used call data, forensic evidence, and phone records to dismantle the network active from October 2024 to July 2025.
TBN's observations
First-hand measurement across
3
source
s
We measured how
3
outlet
s
covered this story.
Coverage leans
balanced
overall
(Left
0
%, Centre
100
%, Right
0
%).
Overall sentiment is
negative
(
27
/100).
Lens Score
76
/100
—
high public interest
.
Outlets analysed (first-hand measurement by TBN's Bias Engine):
timesnow
—
balanced
framing
,
negative
sentiment
hindustantimes
—
balanced
f…
Corroboration
No verdict, no pronouncement. The model extracts atomic factual claims with verbatim quotes; every quote is validated against the source text and corroboration is computed by counting how many editorially-opposed blocs assert each fact. 1 fabricated/unverifiable quotes were rejected by the cite-or-die gate.
The spine · 6 facts corroborated across ≥2 opposed blocs
2×cross-perspective · 2Purshotam Dhillon, 59, was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest.
indiaother
hindustantimes“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest”
safirnews.in“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest”
hindustantimes.com“One of the accused, Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest”
timesnownews.com“Among those convicted was Purshotam Dhillon, 59, a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest.”
telanganatoday.com“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest”
2×cross-perspective · 2Purshotam Dhillon was sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing his position of public trust to facilitate the illegal drug operation.
indiaother
hindustantimes“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence.”
safirnews.in“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest and allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday.”
hindustantimes.com“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was serving as a magistrate at the time of his arrest, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday. He used his position to facilitate the illegal operation, news agency PTI reported.”
timesnownews.com“Dhillon was sentenced to seven years in prison by Croydon Crown Court after prosecutors proved he abused his position of public trust to assist the criminal operation.”
telanganatoday.com“Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest and allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday.”
1×broadly confirmedThree Indian-origin men were sentenced to a total of over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine in west London.
other
safirnews.in“A Metropolitan Police investigation into a west London organised crime network has led to three Indian-origin men being sentenced to over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine.”
hindustantimes.com“Three men of Indian origin have been sentenced to a total of over 22 years following a police investigation into a "sophisticated" organised crime network operating in west London that was allegedly involved in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.”
timesnownews.com“Three Indian-origin men have been sentenced to a combined prison term of more than 22 years after a major investigation uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking network operating across west London.”
telanganatoday.com“A Metropolitan Police investigation into a west London organised crime network has led to three Indian-origin men being sentenced to over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine.”
1×broadly confirmedHardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison.
other
safirnews.in“Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months”
hindustantimes.com“The other two accused, Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, and Bikramjit Brar, 46, were sentenced to a term of 12 years and six months and three years and four months, respectively.”
timesnownews.com“The network's alleged leader, Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, received a sentence of 12 years and six months”
telanganatoday.com“Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months”
1×broadly confirmedBikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
other
safirnews.in“Bikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months”
hindustantimes.com“The other two accused, Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, and Bikramjit Brar, 46, were sentenced to a term of 12 years and six months and three years and four months, respectively.”
timesnownews.com“while Bikramjit Brar, 46, was jailed for three years and four months.”
telanganatoday.com“Bikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months”
1×broadly confirmedThe Metropolitan Police described the drug network as a "sophisticated" organised crime network.
other
safirnews.in“A Metropolitan Police investigation into a “sophisticated” west London organised crime network dealing in heroin and crack cocaine”
hindustantimes.com“a "sophisticated" organised crime network operating in west London”
telanganatoday.com“A Metropolitan Police investigation into a “sophisticated” west London organised crime network dealing in heroin and crack cocaine”
Single-source · 5 — reported by one bloc only (uncorroborated)
The Metropolitan Police investigated a sophisticated organised crime network in west London that supplied heroin and crack cocaine between October 2024 and July 2025.
timesnownews.com
Detective Inspector Mark Gavin of the Metropolitan Police stated that the investigation uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supplying significant quantities of Class A drugs across London.
hindustantimes.com
Hardeep Thind was the alleged leader of the drug network.
timesnownews.com
The drug network distributed cocaine and heroin worth £174,000.
timesofindia
Hardeep Thind was released prior to the expansion of the illegal network.
timesofindia
Framing · 7 — loaded language surfaced (spin shown, not adopted)
timesofindia
“In a significant crackdown, authorities have dismantled a large drug trafficking operation in London”
→ Authorities dismantled a drug trafficking operation in London.
safirnews.in
“allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation”
→ Purshotam Dhillon used his position to assist the illegal operation.
hindustantimes.com
“He used his position to facilitate the illegal operation”
→ Purshotam Dhillon used his position to assist the illegal operation.
timesnownews.com
“abused his position of public trust to assist the criminal operation”
→ Purshotam Dhillon used his position to assist the illegal operation.
telanganatoday.com
“allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation”
→ Purshotam Dhillon used his position to assist the illegal operation.
hindustantimes.com
“Class A (banned) drugs”
→ Class A drugs.
timesofindia
“orchestrated by incarcerated dealer Hardeep Thind”
→ Hardeep Thind orchestrated the drug network.
Entities
LONDONplace
West Londonplace
drugs networkorg
Indian-origin magistrateperson
Three Indian-origin menperson