3 min readChandigarhMar 31, 2026 04:46 AM IST
A nephew of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassin Satwant Singh has been identified as the person behind $36 million (Rs 180-crore) methamphetamine bust, tipped as New Zealand’s biggest ever drug bust.
Though arrested in 2023, the identity of Baltej Singh was revealed to the public only after he withdrew an appeal to retain permanent name suppression, a protection granted by a NZ court that had prevented media from identifying him.
Stuff, a web portal and among the largest media organisations in New Zealand, named Baltej Singh who is serving a 22-year prison sentence after admitting to importing more than 700kg of methamphetamine, the largest amount ever seized by authorities.
“Baltej Singh sought leave to take the fight to the Supreme Court, but he has now abandoned that appeal, clearing the way for New Zealand media to reveal his identity,” the Stuff reported. The prosecution had earlier argued in court that Indian media had already disclosed his identity.
He was granted permanent name suppression after his lawyer, Ron Mansfield K C, argued that Baltej Singh and his family would face extreme hardship and be in danger if he was named, Stuff said.
Baltej Singh’s name had been in circulation outside New Zealand since at least April 2023, when Indian media first identified him following his arrest. A detailed investigation by a Canadian broadcaster in October 2025 further amplified global attention on the case. By then, legal experts say, the suppression order had lost practical relevance, as it held no jurisdiction beyond New Zealand.
Baltej Singh’s family background drew particular attention. He is the nephew of Satwant Singh, one of the two bodyguards who assassinated Indira Gandhi in 1984 in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar. The family later migrated to New Zealand, where they initially ran a small grocery business in Auckland before accumulating substantial wealth over the years.
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Authorities says that Baltej Singh orchestrated a sophisticated drug importation network, disguising liquid methamphetamine shipments as everyday beverages. These included kombucha from the US, coconut water from India, and nearly 29,000 cans of a Canadian beer brand. The operation came to light after the death of a 21-year-old man in March 2023, who consumed meth-laced liquid from one such can.
