A 62-year-old Brampton man pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday to leading a criminal organization that was responsible for trafficking $17 million worth of methamphetamine and cocaine into Canada.

U.S. officials say Guramrit Sidhu is the lead defendant in a 23-count federal indictment issued in January 2024 that saw 19 people charged for their alleged roles in the organized crime syndicate, including Roberto Scoppa, a Montreal man alleged by authorities to be a large-scale Canadian trafficker and Italian Mafia figure.

According to a statement of fact presented in court, from September 2020 to February 2023, Sidhu was responsible for bringing drugs from the United States into Canada.

“After buying the bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the U.S., Sidhu arranged for the narcotics’ transportation into Canada via long-haul semi-trucks for further distribution,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in California said. “Sidhu and co-conspirators then retrieved the cocaine and methamphetamine from locations within Canada for further distribution.”

Sidhu pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, where he faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in a federal prison.

Several other defendants who have already pleaded guilty in the case have received sentences ranging from 27 months ot 108 months