Pizza joint doubled as meth den in bizarre California drug case as migrant charged with running operation

A California pizza shop has gone belly-up after federal agents allegedly uncovered a 40-pound meth operation involving an Indian national prosecutors say was illegally in the US.

Kawal Preet Singh, 50, was indicted on federal charges of distributing methamphetamine, possessing meth with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Singh was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty.

He is not in custody.

The Dinuba Round Table Pizza tied to the case is now permanently closed.

“The employee involved in the reported incident had worked at this location for approximately one and a half months,” the company told GV Wire in announcing the shuttering.

Erin Mandzik, senior director of corporate communications for Fat Brands, the parent company of Round Table Pizza, said the restaurant was independently owned and operated, that local ownership had no knowledge of the alleged illegal activity before it came to light and that the owners are fully cooperating with authorities, according to The Fresno Bee.

Federal agents searched the restaurant and Singh’s home Aug. 18, according to court documents, and allegedly seized more than 40 pounds of suspected meth, three firearms and more than $10,000 in cash.

At Singh’s residence, agents allegedly found 13.8 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine.

Another roughly 4.9 kilograms was allegedly stuffed into five clear plastic bags inside his Hyundai Sonata, which was parked at the Tulare restaurant.

A semiautomatic handgun and $11,800 in cash were also seized.

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The investigation began with a May tip about a narcotics trafficker allegedly operating in Fresno and selling and distributing controlled substances.

The Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force later identified Singh as a subject of the investigation, according to the FBI.

The indictment says investigators developed evidence that a network of Sikh Indian truck drivers transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States on behalf of an unspecified Mexican cartel, the Fresno Bee reported.

“The information identified the narcotics trafficker as ‘Camy’ and described him as a Sikh Indian male involved in long-haul truck driving,” the FBI stated in the indictment. “The suspect worked with a network of other Sikh Indian truck drivers to transport narcotics.”

Search warrants signed Aug. 13 by US Magistrate Judge Erica P. Grosjean covered Singh, his Dinuba business and his residence.

Five days later, agents surveilled Singh before approaching him after he drove from the restaurant to his home.

Investigators simultaneously executed the search warrants at the Round Table Pizza.

Singh allegedly told agents he had not sold methamphetamine for approximately two months but was storing it for a friend.

The case now heads toward a Nov. 4 status conference before Magistrate Judge Boone — with Singh still not in custody.

If convicted, Singh faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, plus a fine of up to $10 million, for drug trafficking.

The firearm charge carries another mandatory minimum of five years consecutive to any other sentence, with a maximum of life in prison.