Convicted drug trafficker endorses Patrick Brown challenger: Report

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In 1995, during the days leading up to the Quebec Referendum, notorious motorcycle gang Hells Angels were outspoken federalists.

Now, as tough-on-crime Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown fights for reelection, his challenger Prabh Gill has been given an endorsement by a convicted drug trafficker.

The Bramptonist first reported Avi Dhaliwal’s support for Gill on Wednesday. Dhaliwal had earlier thrown his hat into the ring for the top job in Brampton but later withdrew.

Brown seen as law and order

Brown has been a big booster for Peel Regional Police and a vocal critic of federal catch-and-release policies. Public safety has been a cornerstone of his campaign.

Dhaliwal was convicted of U.S. drug trafficking offences in Detroit in 2007. He served three years in prison before being sprung in 2010.

The wannabe political powerbroker was ensnared in connection with a 2005 drug trafficking investigation named Project Pigeon. In a preview of today’s cross-border dope trafficking, cops alleged the criminals used commercial trucking companies to move the drugs.

In that probe, investigators seized around $15 million in drugs and $1.3 million in U.S. currency. The probe involved Peel Regional Police, the RCMP, OPP, Canada Border Services Agency, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

In 2005, The Toronto Sun pulled back the curtain on Project Pigeon.

Much of the dope crossing into the U.S. at southern Ontario border crossings was grown in GTA grow houses but also included B.C. bud trucked here for the trip across the border.

Crime a major issue in Brampton

“We are working to take out the masterminds,” Peel Insp. Steve Dolan, who spearheaded the probe, told the Sun. “There are different organized crime groups working together in this.”

Dolan said Project Pigeon zeroed in on “dozens of Brampton-area trucking firms” allegedly involved.

One of those companies belonged to Avi Dhaliwal, co-owner of Freeway Groups Systems. Dhaliwal refused to comment on the case at the time. Also charged was fellow trucking impresario, Yadwinder Dhillon.

Interestingly, Dhaliwal has thrown his support behind a roster of police critics pushing for law enforcement funding cuts. Brown has been endorsed by the Peel Regional Police Association.

In supporting Gill, Dhaliwal wrote on Instagram: “Brampton First. I am supporting Prabh Gill for Mayor of Brampton. Vote, Donate, Volunteer, Share. Electing a mayor who puts Brampton first means responsible property taxes, more local jobs, better infrastructure, and a more prosperous city.”

Hizzoner wants more funding for the police, more cops on the street and a crackdown on border security to fight organized crime and drug trafficking.

Brown is sensitive when it comes to crime after receiving two death threats in 2025. He told the Sun at the time he deeply sympathized with members of the South Asian community who were victims of extortion at the hands of organized crime groups.

Threats against mayor

“So when I get phone calls from residents who are horrified, and they fear for their family, I’ve lived that experience – when I’ve had my own family very nervous about what is to come,” Brown said at a town hall.

The threats against Brown and his family started in late June 2025, Peel Regional Police have said. Kanwarjyot Singh Manoria, 29, of Brampton was arrested and charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Many of the extortion rings have been linked to Indian arch-criminal Lawrence Bishnoi and his coterie of thugs. The Bishnoi gang have been labelled a terrorist entity by Canada.

The violent shakedowns have been an ongoing issue for police and residents in Caledon, Brampton and Mississauga for years. The number of extortion-related crimes has spiked since 2020, with 490 crimes reported in 2024.

Bishnoi members claimed responsibility for the killing of Brampton businessman Harjeet Singh Dhadda, who was gunned down in a Mississauga parking lot in 2025.

The gang has also taken credit for the murder of Brampton rapper Sidhu Moose Wala.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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