Michael Habib, a member of the Canadian criminal organization Wolfpack Alliance, has been sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for narcotics trafficking. Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, announced the sentence following Habib's guilty plea on December 20, 2023. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan.
Habib's co-defendants have also received significant sentences: Surinder Singh Cheema was sentenced to 18 years, Bhupinder Singh Virk to 17 and a half years, and Christopher Burgos to four and a half years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky commented on the case stating: “Wolfpack and its associates have spread drugs and violence in the United States and in Canada... Today’s prison sentence will help protect the public from wanton violence and dangerous narcotics, and demonstrates our resolve to root out transnational criminal organizations like Wolfpack.”
James E. Dennehy, FBI Assistant Director in Charge, added: “The associates of the Wolfpack Alliance have all been rightly sentenced for establishing an international drug trafficking route... The FBI will continue to dismantle and hold accountable any criminal enterprise member.”
According to court documents, from February 2022 through November 2022, Habib along with Cheema, Virk, Burgos, and others conspired to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine across borders into Canada. Law enforcement seized substantial amounts of cocaine in New Jersey and Kansas City during this period.
The defendants were involved in other criminal activities as well. Habib and Burgos assisted two hitmen aligned with Wolfpack who later died in a plane crash. Cheema directed violent actions related to drug debts while awaiting sentencing. Virk was arrested with unregistered firearms and cash.
In addition to their prison terms, Habib from Toronto; Cheema from Brampton; Virk from Fresno; and Burgos from Brooklyn were given supervised release periods ranging from three to five years. They are also required to forfeit $487,900 along with a luxury vehicle.
Matthew Podolsky acknowledged the efforts of various law enforcement agencies including the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Peel Ontario Regional Police as well as others involved in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation.
This case is managed by the Narcotics Unit under Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas S. Burnett, Jane Y. Chong, and Matthew R. Shahabian.