5 foreign nationals charged with extortion-related crimes in B.C.

Five foreign nationals have been charged in connection with extortion-related crimes in B.C., the RCMP announced on Friday.

Supt. Harm Dosange, officer in charge of the Langley RCMP, said their investigation started in June 2025 following an extortion report from co-owners of an auto dealership.

He said they were the subject of “extreme extortion demands.”

“Subsequently, that was followed up with acts of violence, which included arson and shootings in Langley and Surrey, British Columbia,” Dosange added.

“Through a dedicated project team and extensive operations across Canada and internationally, investigators were able to identify a group allegedly involved in the extortions. Other criminal offenses were also identified, such as firearms trafficking and drug trafficking.”

As part of Project E_PURSUANCE, four men were arrested in Surrey on Thursday and one man, a resident of India, was arrested at Toronto-Pearson International Airport, police said.

“The project also resulted in the seizure of numerous dangerous items taken off of our streets such as firearms, drugs which we suspect will be cocaine, fentanyl, and opium,” Dosange said.

“Additionally, we obtained evidence identifying additional suspects, evidence that supports other extortion-related offenses throughout Western Canada. Our E_PURSUANCE investigators are sharing that evidence with our colleagues in Western Canada and across Canada, so we are expecting more charges coming from our policing partners in the very near future.”