Man indicted after agents seize more than 40 pounds of meth at Dinuba pizza shop
Federal prosecutors said Kawal Preet Singh was indicted Thursday on federal drug and firearm charges after agents searched his home and a Round Table Pizza restaurant in Dinuba and seized more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine, three guns and cash.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said investigators found approximately 13.8 kilograms — more than 30 pounds — of suspected methamphetamine at Singh’s home and about 4.9 kilograms — nearly 11 pounds — packed in five clear plastic bags inside a Hyundai Sonata parked at the restaurant. The Fresno Bee reported agents also seized a semiautomatic handgun and $11,800 in cash.
A federal grand jury charged Singh with distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, prosecutors said. The Justice Department released photographs it said showed two handguns and plastic bags containing a crystalline substance identified as methamphetamine.
Singh, 50, whom federal prosecutors described as an Indian national living illegally in the United States, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Thursday and was not in custody, The Fresno Bee reported. Prosecutors said he faces at least 10 years in prison on the drug counts and at least five more years on the firearm count if convicted.
The investigation began with a May tip about a suspected narcotics trafficker in Fresno and later identified a trafficker known as “Camy,” described in an FBI affidavit cited by The Fresno Bee as a Sikh Indian man involved in long-haul trucking. Prosecutors said investigators developed evidence of a network of truck drivers who transported large quantities of narcotics, but Singh has not been charged with any cocaine-related crime.
The Dinuba restaurant is listed as permanently closed on Google. Erin Mandzik, senior director of corporate communications for FAT Brands, told The Fresno Bee the restaurant was independently owned and the local owners had no prior knowledge of the alleged activity and were cooperating with authorities, according to GV Wire. The Fresno Bee reported Singh’s next federal court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4. Prosecutors emphasized the charges are allegations and Singh is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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