For his final gun smuggling caper, Harsimran “Himmy” Dhaliwal discovered he was firing blanks too late.
The 31-year-old — believed to be from the Toronto area — was sentenced to nearly seven years in a U.S. federal prison and fined $30,000 after he was convicted of illegally purchasing handguns to smuggle them into Canada.
Court documents stated that in several cases, guns smuggled by Dhaliwal were seized from crime scenes in Canada.
Dhaliwal based his gun smuggling operation out of Austin, Texas, where he kept an apartment. The firepower was intended for the hands of Canadian criminals.
“The international smuggling of firearms is dangerous and harmful and our office will vigorously prosecute persons who illegally obtain, transport and distribute guns,” U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza said in a news release.
Cops say that in 2022, Dhaliwal had a straw purchaser buy numerous handguns in and around the Austin area. Once he obtained the guns, he smuggled them into Canada.
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An affidavit filed by an Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agent outlined the case against Dhaliwal. The agent noted that Texas is the No. 1 locale for illegal guns to be smuggled into Canada and the cause of gun crime here.
Cops in some jurisdictions are using trackers on illegal handguns. That led the ATF to two incidents in Canada.
It’s believed Dhaliwal flooded Canadian streets with hundreds of guns.
On Nov. 2, 2022, the Edmonton Police Service’s Drugs and Gang Enforcement Unit, executed a search warrant at a residence in the city. Detectives found a Glock handgun, three kilos of cocaine, and a cocktail of other illegal substances.
The firearm information was entered into the ATF and linked to one of Dhaliwal’s straw purchasers — and additional handgun purchases in the Lone Star State.
The strawman told investigators that the customer was “an individual from Canada known as ‘Himmy.’” The pair did the deal in the bar of Austin’s Fairmont Hotel. “Himmy” was later ID’d as Dhaliwal.
At the bar tryst, Dhaliwal agreed to buy 30 more handguns at $800 per gun. The gun trafficker told his contact he only wanted compact-sized guns.
On Nov. 8, 2022, OPP officers arrested an individual on an outstanding warrant. A search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of bags of cocaine and a Glock. That gun was also traced to Dhaliwal.
“The guns [bought in Texas] were being purchased for Dhaliwal and were transferred to his possession shortly after purchase,” the ATF agent said in his affidavit.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted.
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