Ranjit Cheema

Early Life and Immigration to Canada

Ranjit Singh Cheema was born in 1968 into a Jat Sikh family of the Cheema clan in the village of Cheema Khurd in the Jalandhar district of Punjab, India. He moved with his family to England at the age of three. The family immigrated to British Columbia, Canada in October 1978 when Cheema was ten. Cheema described his father Malkit as abusive and suffering from alcoholism, and noted the family was poor. From ages 10 to 15, Cheema worked with his mother on berry farms in the Fraser Valley during summer breaks. He later worked as a janitor at night while attending high school, graduating in 1986. After high school, Cheema attended college, studying criminal justice while working as a bouncer and then a truck driver. He claimed he wanted to become a police officer while in college. His early life of transatlantic movement and manual labour contrasted sharply with his later criminal path.

Entry into Crime and Association with Bindy Johal

Cheema pleaded guilty to a nightclub shooting on 19 November 1993 at a Southwest Marine Drive nightclub in Vancouver. The incident stemmed from a dispute where Cheema intervened on behalf of a woman named Monica Alvarez, who alleged some men had bumped into her and caused trouble. This was his first criminal conviction. In the May 1995 trial of gangster Bindy Johal, who was accused of murdering brothers Jimsher "Jimmy" Singh Dosanjh and Ranjit "Ron" Singh Dosanjh, Cheema was identified as an associate of Johal and a major distributor involved in cocaine trafficking. This identification cemented Cheema's reputation as a key player within Johal's network, where he was considered a co-boss. The trial publicly linked Cheema to the violent Punjabi Mafia group operating in British Columbia.

Violence, Survival and Shifting Alliances

Cheema's life was marked by violence. In August 1995, he was shot at the Zodiac Karaoke nightclub in Richmond, British Columbia. He was with Manjinder "Robbie" Singh Kandola, a founder of the Independent Soldiers gang, at the time. Cheema survived but was in a coma for six weeks. The two later fell out, and Kandola was killed in 2002 in a murder believed to be ordered by Cheema. Following the 1998 murder of Bindy Johal, Cheema's alliances shifted. He began operating alongside the Buttar brothers and Tejinder "Tee" Malli, maintaining his status as a crime boss in Vancouver's south slope area. In May 2000, his bodyguard Mike Brar was killed at a Vancouver wedding also attended by then Premier Ujjal Dosanjh. After investigating Cheema following Brar's murder, Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan found Cheema had not been arrested on an assault charge in Burnaby. He was arrested but released after the complainant died. This period illustrated the frequent violence and police scrutiny in his world.

International Drug Trafficking and U.S. Extradition

In 1998, the United States charged Cheema with attempting to smuggle heroin and hashish from Pakistan to California to exchange for cocaine with Colombian gangs. He fought extradition for a decade through numerous appeals. He was finally extradited in 2008, where he pleaded guilty to charges related to the attempted sale of 200 kilograms of heroin. The extradition case sparked controversy when Member of Parliament Sukhminder Singh Dhaliwal wrote a character reference for Cheema on official House of Commons stationery to a U.S. District Court judge. Cheema served his sentence in a California prison until his release in February 2012. His imprisonment represented a significant cross-border law enforcement victory. The plot involved complex international logistics, highlighting the scale of his operations.

Final Months and Gangland Execution

Cheema returned to Vancouver in February 2012 after his release from U.S. prison. According to crime journalist Kim Bolan and police sources, he tried to return to the British Columbia drug trade. In the process, he disrespected former underlings who had moved up during his absence, creating disputes believed to have led to his assassination. On the morning of 2 May 2012, Cheema was sitting in his SUV in the 1100 block of East 61st Avenue in Vancouver when he was killed in a targeted drive-by shooting. Witnesses reported hearing as many as seven gunshots. The murder occurred about 9:30 a.m. PT, just two blocks from the Ross Street Sikh temple he had been attending. Police confirmed the killing was a targeted attack and launched a search for a suspect vehicle. Former Vancouver police gang squad detective Doug Spencer remarked that Cheema, having lived to age 43, had outlived many of his peers in the gang life.

Funeral and Police Surveillance

Cheema's funeral was held on 5 May 2012 at the Riverside Funeral Home in Delta, British Columbia, drawing almost 300 mourners. The attendees were largely relatives and neighbours from Vancouver's south slope. A 90-minute service was followed by prayers at the Ross Street Sikh Temple. The event was closely monitored by law enforcement, with undercover and uniformed officers from Delta and Vancouver police present. Officers photographed attendees and recorded licence plate numbers. This police presence mirrored the surveillance at the funeral of Thomas Gisby, a veteran drug trafficker shot in Mexico days earlier. Authorities stated they did not believe the murders of Cheema and Gisby were linked. Police sources indicated Cheema's killing was likely rooted in local disputes with rivals from his south Vancouver neighbourhood, while Gisby's death was potentially part of wider conflicts between groups like the Hells Angels, Red Scorpions, and Independent Soldiers and their rivals in the Dhak-Duhre group.

Personal Life and Other Legal Proceedings

Cheema was married and had a daughter born in 2004. His wife and young daughter were present at his funeral. Beyond his own criminal saga, the name Ranjit Singh Cheema appears in other Canadian legal proceedings. A Supreme Court of Canada case, indexed as 26302, is titled Ranjit Singh Cheema v. Her Majesty the Queen, originating from British Columbia on criminal matters. This case is separate from his U.S. extradition. Separately, in November 2025, a 44-year-old man named Ranjit Singh Cheema from Adjala-Tosorontio, Ontario, was charged with second-degree murder following the death of his wife, Sukhdeep Cheema, in their home in the village of Colgan. This individual, diagnosed with terminal cancer, was granted bail following a review in March 2026. His release conditions included constant supervision by sureties, house arrest, and the wearing of a GPS ankle bracelet, secured by a combined pledge of $370,000 from four extended family members. He was to reside with his sureties in Etobicoke, and the case was scheduled to return to court on 19 March 2026.

Key Figures in Cheema's Criminal Network

Throughout his criminal career, Ranjit Cheema was connected to several high-profile gangsters and groups. His network included associates who were themselves victims of gangland killings. The following individuals were central to Cheema's criminal orbit.

• Bindy Johal (died 1998): The gang leader with whom Cheema was closely associated as a co-boss. Johal was murdered in a Vancouver nightclub.
• Mike Brar (died 2000): Cheema's bodyguard, killed at a Vancouver wedding also attended by then Premier Ujjal Dosanjh.
• Manjinder "Robbie" Kandola (died 2002): Independent Soldiers founder, who was with Cheema during the 1995 shooting. His murder was believed ordered by Cheema after a falling out.
• Thomas Gisby (died 2012): A fellow veteran drug trafficker shot in Mexico just days before Cheema's murder. Both had convictions for cocaine trafficking.
• The Buttar brothers: Key associates Cheema aligned with after Johal's death, part of the ongoing Punjabi gang landscape.
• Tejinder "Tee" Malli: Another crime figure Cheema worked with in his later years.

Cheema's survival until 2012 was notable within this violent context.

Chronology of Major Events

The timeline of Ranjit Cheema's life charts his immigration, criminal rise, legal battles, and violent death. The following table lists the key dates and events.

This chronology shows a progression from immigration to deep involvement in organized crime and a fatal return to the Vancouver underworld.

Questions about Ranjit Cheema

Who was Ranjit Cheema?

Ranjit Cheema was a Vancouver-based Indian-Canadian gangster and drug kingpin. Born in 1968 in Punjab, India, he immigrated to Canada as a child and was a crime boss alongside Bindy Johal and later the Buttar brothers and Tejinder Malli. He was involved in organized crime for about three decades, leading to his extradition and imprisonment in the United States for a heroin plot. He was murdered in Vancouver in 2012. His life illustrates the reach of Indo-Canadian organized crime.

How did Ranjit Cheema die?

Ranjit Cheema was killed on 2 May 2012 in a targeted drive-by shooting in Vancouver. He was sitting in his SUV in the 1100 block of East 61st Avenue when attackers fired as many as seven shots. The murder occurred about 9:30 a.m. PT, just two blocks from the Ross Street Sikh temple. Police confirmed it was a targeted attack and searched for a suspect vehicle. The killing is believed linked to his attempts to reclaim his position in the drug trade after prison.

What was Ranjit Cheema convicted of in the United States?

Ranjit Cheema was extradited to the United States in 2008 and pleaded guilty to charges related to the attempted sale of 200 kilograms of heroin. The U.S. had originally charged him in 1998 with attempting to smuggle heroin and hashish from Pakistan to California to exchange for cocaine with Colombian gangs. He fought extradition for a decade through numerous appeals before finally being sent to the United States. Cheema served his sentence in a California prison and was released in February 2012, just three months before his death.

What happened at Ranjit Cheema's funeral?

Ranjit Cheema's funeral was held on 5 May 2012 at the Riverside Funeral Home in Delta, British Columbia, attended by almost 300 people. A 90-minute service was followed by prayers at the Ross Street Sikh Temple. The event was heavily monitored by police from multiple jurisdictions, who photographed attendees and recorded licence plates for intelligence gathering. Similar surveillance occurred at the funeral of fellow trafficker Thomas Gisby.

Is the Ontario man charged with murder in 2025 the same Ranjit Cheema?

No, they are different individuals. In November 2025, a 44-year-old man named Ranjit Singh Cheema from Adjala-Tosorontio, Ontario, was charged with second-degree murder in his wife's death. This person, diagnosed with terminal cancer, was granted bail in March 2026 under strict conditions including an ankle monitor. He is unrelated to the Vancouver gangster murdered in 2012. The shared name has led to separate legal proceedings.

Was Ranjit Cheema connected to Bindy Johal?

Yes, Ranjit Cheema was a longtime associate and co-boss alongside Bindy Johal. During Johal's 1995 murder trial, Cheema was identified as a major drug distributor for Johal's operations. He was considered part of the Punjabi Mafia leadership with Johal until Johal's death in 1998. This partnership was central to Cheema's early criminal career in Vancouver.

Sources and further reading

• Ranjit Cheema (Wikipedia)
• Supreme Court of Canada | 26302 (scc-csc.ca)
• Hundreds attend funeral of gangster Ranjit Cheema amid ... (globalnews.ca)
• Vancouver gangster shot dead outside parents' home (cbc.ca)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-11-01.