English man extradited to Columbus on drug trafficking charges
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An English man accused of orchestrating an international drug trafficking ring was scheduled to appear Monday in a Columbus courtroom.
On Sunday, law enforcement agents extradited Banmeet Singh from England to Columbus, where he faces federal charges related to the shipping of diverted prescription and illicit drugs around the globe, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration.
A DEA investigation found that a drug trafficking organization believed to be led by Singh supplied illegal drugs through at least eight distribution locations in the U.S., including at a site in Columbus, the Department of Justice said.
In February 2017, law enforcement agents seized 59 kilograms of MDMA, 19 kilograms of ketamine and other illegal drugs from a Columbus distribution cell with suspected ties to Singh.
Two years later, the U.S. Attorney General designated Singh's alleged organization as one of the most prolific drug trafficking organizations with the greatest impact on the supply of the country's illegal drugs.
Singh was arrested by the U.K. National Crime Agency at his home in Coventry, England in April 2019 and later filed an appeal for his extradition in the European Human Rights Court. He withdrew his appeal in January, and on March 2, the court ruled in his favor for extradition.