Three Indian-origin men sentenced in London organised crime drug case
A Metropolitan Police investigation into a west London organised crime network has led to three Indian-origin men being sentenced to over 22 years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine. Among them, Purshotam Dhillon, a serving magistrate at the time, received seven years for abusing his position of trust.
London: A Metropolitan Police investigation into a “sophisticated” west London organised crime network dealing in heroin and crack cocaine has resulted in three Indian-origin men being sentenced to a total of over 22 years.
Purshotam Dhillon, 59, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest and allowed his position to be used to facilitate the illegal operation, was handed a seven-year custodial sentence at Croydon Crown Court in south London on Thursday.
Hardeep Thind, 48, also known as Harry Singh, was sentenced to 12 years and six months and Bikramjit Brar, 46, was sentenced to three years and four months.
“This was a complex and far-reaching investigation that uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supplying significant quantities of Class A (banned) drugs across London,” said Detective Inspector (DI) Mark Gavin, from the Met’s Specialist Crime unit.
“The team’s extensive work enabled us to identify, disrupt and dismantle a group whose actions would have been causing serious harm to communities.
“As a serving magistrate, Dhillon abused a position of trust in the most serious way. This case demonstrates that no-one is above the law, and those who engage in criminality will be held accountable,” he said.
Detectives from the unit pieced together call data records, forensic evidence and phone downloads to identify a group responsible for the wholesale supply of heroin and crack cocaine across London between October 2024 and July 2025. The network operated multiple drug lines and distributed drugs worth over 100,000 pounds, the police found.
“County lines are far more than drug dealing – they exploit the vulnerable and fuel violence. We remain committed to relentlessly pursuing those responsible,” added DI Gavin.
The investigation began in January 2024 after the Met Police team focussed on tackling London drugs lines identified a highly-active drugs line known as “Hadi”, responsible for distributing heroin and crack cocaine to a large customer base across west London.
Thind, a.k.a. Harry Singh who emerged as a central figure, was serving a 17-year sentence in prison for conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine, as well as possession of a prohibited automatic weapon namely Skorpion submachine gun at the time.
He was being held in an open prison and had access to a mobile phone, which he used to continue to direct and coordinate the drugs network. Following his release in October 2024, Thind expanded the operation and recruited several dealers in the Hayes and Southall area of west London.
“The investigation identified distinct roles within the network with Thind acting as the leader – coordinating supply and directing others; Purshotam Dhillon – a self-confessed drug addict – was found to store drugs, cash and equipment; Brar held and distributed drugs on behalf of the network while Lynch acted as a runner – facilitating supply and communications,” the Met Police said.
Other members of the network were arrested and convicted earlier in the investigation. In July last year, police officers carried out coordinated raids across west London, executing multiple warrants and arresting the gang members at their homes.
“Officers carried out searches of their addresses and vehicles, resulting in significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine being recovered, as well as drug packaging materials and digital scales, large amounts of cash, several mobile phones and ‘tick lists’ of drugs transactions,” the Met Police stated.
Dhillon, who was a serving magistrate at the time, allowed a van containing substantial quantities of heroin to be parked outside his house and allowed drugs to be weighed out and packaged inside.
Singh and Brar eventually pleaded guilty to two counts each of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin, while Dhillon and Leandrea Lynch were convicted of the same offences by unanimous verdicts in May following a trial at Croydon Crown Court and have now been sentenced by the same court this week.
Lynch, their 49-year-old accomplice, was handed a suspended sentence of two years and six months.