The man charged this week with extortion in connection with a northeast Calgary home being riddled with bullets faces a litany of other charges, including drugs and weapons smuggling and pointing a firearm.
Gursewak Singh, 32, made appearances in three separate courtrooms Friday on six separate sets of charges, including recent allegations involving a home being struck with a volley of gunshots last month.
Defence counsel Jim Lutz asked that all Singh’s matters be adjourned a week while his client remains in custody.
In all, Singh appeared on 32 charges, ranging from Customs Act offences of smuggling, to importing narcotics at the Coutts border crossing and pointing a firearm during an incident outside the Dashmesh Cultural Centre, which was the catalyst to members of Calgary’s Sikh community signing a petition calling for officials to take action to address safety concerns.
The charges under the Customs Act, which carry a maximum jail term of five years, allege he and a co-accused attempted to bring into Canada doda, an opium derivative, two semi-automatic firearms, a Glock handgun and a rifle, and “a prohibited capacity cartridge magazine,” last Feb. 2.
He also faces five firearms-related charges under the Criminal Code and one of importation under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in connection with the same incident at the Coutts border crossing.
Calgary police announced earlier this week they had laid charges in connection with a Sept. 19 shooting, after a resident noticed his home in the 0-100 block of Savanna Green N.E. and his two vehicles had been struck by bullets.
“Four days later . . . the victim contacted investigators, as it is believed he had received threatening phone calls referring to the shooting and demanding a large sum of cash,” police said Tuesday in a news release.
“Through CCTV and evidence left at the scene, investigators identified two suspects in the shooting,” they said.
Singh faces eight charges in connection with those allegations, including intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless as to the life or safety of another person, and extortion using a firearm. Both offences carry mandatory minimum penalties of five years.
While Singh was only charged this week in connection with those incidents, he was arrested Sept. 24, the day after the extortion was reported, in connection with the incident outside the Dashmesh Cultural Centre.
In that incident, he’s accused of threatening bodily harm or death and pointing a firearm at the same individual who is alleged to have been targeted by extortion.
Calgary police suggested the incidents related to this city’s Sikh community had no relation to ongoing investigations in which the RCMP have alleged incidents of violence in Canada have been linked to the Indian government.
“Although we continue to work with law enforcement partners across Canada, these incidents are not believed to be connected to any ongoing investigations,” they said.