Hells Angels-linked Punjabi biker gang founder kept machine gun, grenade at US home, sold weapons to undercover officer

JALANDHAR: Jashanpreet Singh, 27, founder of the "Punjabi Devils" Motorcycle Club—a Stockton-based outlaw motorcycle gang —was sentenced Monday by a US district judge to five years and four months in prison for unlawful dealing of firearms and possession of a machine gun.On June 6, 2025, Singh, of Lodi, San Joaquin County, California, attempted to sell several weapons to an undercover officer, including a short-barreled rifle, three assault weapons, three machine gun conversion devices, and a revolver. "A search of his residence resulted in the discovery of additional firearms, including a machine gun, another machine gun conversion device, and a silencer," the US attorney's office for the eastern district of California said in a release. "Punjabi Devils" was associated with the Hells Angels, one of the country's most notorious biker gangs. Last year, Singh's attempt to flee the US was thwarted by federal agencies. During the initial investigation, officers discovered a single "pineapple-style" capped and fused hand grenade, as well as what law enforcement believed to be a military electronic capped claymore mine. The explosives ordnance detail of the San Joaquin county sheriff's department bomb team destroyed these items at the scene. Singh initially faced state charges in San Joaquin county. On July 21, 2025, he failed to appear in court, prompting the state court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. On July 23, 2025, the FBI received an alert from US customs and border protection indicating that Singh had booked a flight to India departing from San Francisco international airport on July 26. Officers located and arrested Singh at the airport before he could board. Singh, who later pleaded guilty, remains in federal custody. This case resulted from an investigation by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and San Joaquin county district attorney's and sheriff's offices. The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative designed to dismantle transnational criminal organisations and protect communities from violent crime.