3 people kicked out of Canada in extortion probe in B.C., border agency says

VANCOUVER — The Canada Border Services Agency says it has removed three people from the country as part of its work within the B.C. Extortion Task Force.

The agency says in a statement that it is also investigating another 78 foreign nationals who may be inadmissible to the country and connected to the spate of shootings and extortion attempts in the province.

The unit was created earlier this year and is made up of investigators from the border agency, RCMP, gang squad and several other police departments.

It’s looking into dozens of extortion attempts and subsequent shootings — many of them aimed at South Asian business people — that have terrorized several communities in the province.

Nina Patel, the regional director general for the agency’s Pacific region, says their investigations highlight the critical role its teams play in disrupting organized transnational criminal groups.

There have been arrests and a few convictions for the crimes, including some linked to the India-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which the federal government recently declared a terrorist entity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.