Members of a Canadian drug trafficking ring have been sentenced to long prison terms in the U.S. after pleading guilty to distributing large quantities of narcotics. Michael Habib, an associate of the Wolfpack Alliance criminal group, was sentenced to 17 and a half years by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. His co-defendants received sentences ranging from four and a half years to 18 years.
The group was convicted of shipping thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine across the U.S.-Canada border between February and November 2022. During the operation, 400 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a New Jersey warehouse, and other drug hauls were intercepted near Kansas City, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Surinder Singh Cheema, Bhupinder Singh Virk, and Christopher Burgos admitted to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine.
The defendants were also involved in violent activities, including helping hitmen aligned with the Wolfpack Alliance try to escape Canada. Even after their arrests, the group’s influence continued, with Cheema directing shootings from jail. Virk was arrested with unregistered firearms and a large sum of cash, suggesting ongoing criminal activity.
In addition to their prison sentences, the defendants will serve several years of supervised release. The court also ordered the forfeiture of assets, including a large cash sum and a 2020 Mercedes Benz AMG GT63. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection led the investigation, with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Peel Ontario Regional Police. This case is part of a broader initiative by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to target major criminal organizations.
