First Time in Canada: Surrey Declares State of Emergency Over Punjabi Gang Extortion Crisis

The extortion racket primarily targets South Asian businesses and families, involving anonymous demands for large sums of money ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. File Photo.

The Surrey City Council has declared a local state of emergency in response to a surging wave of extortion threats and related violence.According to the report, the extortion wave has a specific focus, with Punjabi gangsters reportedly behind the majority of attempts aimed at South Asian households and businesses in the region.

This marks the first time an elected council in Canada has taken such action against a crime wave. According to the report, the motion was spearheaded by Mayor Brenda Locke and approved on January 26, after local resources and policing efforts were outstripped by the crisis.

The council is now urging the federal government to declare a national emergency to combat what Mayor Locke described as a "transnational" threat. "This is a crisis that has left families terrified and businesses under siege," she said during the council meeting.

The extortion racket primarily targets South Asian businesses and families, involving anonymous demands for large sums of money ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Official figures reveal the severity of the situation; Surrey recorded its 35th extortion case by mid-January 2026, including at least eight shootings in the first three weeks alone. At this pace, the city could see over 600 such incidents by year's end.

To combat this, the council is demanding the appointment of a federal "extortion commissioner" to coordinate responses, including additional RCMP units and expedited deportations for non-citizens involved in these crimes.

Source: The Tribune