Two illegal immigrant Indian truckers with California licenses caught smuggling 300 pounds of cocaine in Indiana

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that ICE lodged arrest detainers on Jan. 4 for Gurpreet Singh, 25, and Jasveer Singh, 30, following their arrest by local authorities in Putnam County, Indiana on narcotics trafficking charges. During a routine truck inspection, law enforcement located 309 pounds of cocaine concealed inside the sleeper area of their truck. DHS said that amount represents an enormous threat, noting that with a lethal dose as low as 1.2 grams, the haul was enough to kill more than 113,000 Americans.

Both men were operating as commercial truck drivers despite having no lawful status in the United States, and DHS says both held California-issued CDLs, adding to the growing scrutiny of California’s commercial licensing practices. “Thanks to Gavin Newsom’s reckless policies, these two criminal illegal aliens were granted commercial driver’s licenses by the state of California and were arrested for trafficking a whopping 300 pounds of cocaine inside a semi-truck,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. McLaughlin said sanctuary policies have repeatedly blocked ICE from taking custody of criminal illegal aliens, warning they “put American lives at risk.” She added that ICE lodged detainers to ensure the men are not released back into American communities.

DHS said Gurpreet Singh illegally entered the US on March 11, 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was released into the country under the Biden administration. DHS said he admitted to law enforcement that he is a citizen of India and unlawfully present.

Jasveer Singh, DHS said, illegally entered the US on March 21, 2017 near Otay Mesa, California, and was arrested in San Bernardino on Dec. 5, 2025 for receiving stolen property. ICE lodged a detainer at the time, but DHS says California’s sanctuary policies prevented local authorities from honoring it, allowing him to be released back into the community. A month later, he was arrested for hauling hundreds of pounds of cocaine inside a commercial semi-truck.

The Indiana seizure comes as DHS and the Department of Transportation intensify enforcement against illegal immigrants operating commercial vehicles. DHS has said its law enforcement components have arrested hundreds of illegal aliens driving commercial trucks despite lacking lawful status, including 146 illegal alien truck drivers captured in a 287(g) operation announced by Secretary Kristi Noem and 91 illegal aliens driving 18-wheelers in Indiana in October. In November, ICE also arrested Akhror Bozorov, a criminal illegal alien from Uzbekistan wanted in his home country for alleged ties to a terrorist organization, who was working as a truck driver in Kansas despite having no legal status.

This latest arrest also lands amid heightened scrutiny following a series of major crashes involving illegal immigrant truck drivers, many tied to California CDLs. In Southern California, Jashanpreet Singh, an illegal immigrant from India released after crossing the border in 2022, was arrested after authorities said he killed three people in a fiery I-10 crash while driving under the influence. In Oregon, Rajinder Kumar, an illegal immigrant who entered unlawfully in 2022, was charged after a jackknifed semi blocked Highway 20, leading to a collision that killed two people; DHS said he held a California CDL and received Biden-era work authorization.

Washington state has also seen major cases, including a school bus pileup allegedly caused by Mexican national Juan Hernandez-Santos, who DHS said had multiple DUIs, prior removals, and no CDL, yet was released despite an ICE detainer under sanctuary policies. In a separate Washington fatal crash, DHS-linked sources said Kamalpreet Singh, an illegal immigrant from India who crossed in 2023 and was released under the Biden administration, was arrested for vehicular homicide and later released on bond despite an ICE detainer.