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A flashy GTA lawyer and seven other Canadians have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking in connection with former Olympian Ryan Wedding‘s evil criminal apparatus.
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The U.S. Department of Justice said Wedding — hiding in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel — ordered the murder of a vital witness in the case against him.
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And the feds declared his headline-hogging lawyer, Deepak Paradkar, advised the “narco-terrorist” to kill the snitch.
COCAINE KING
“He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged, referring to Wedding at a news conference on Wednesday. “He is the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada.”
The feds also announced that the reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest has been increased from US$10 million to US$15 million.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wedding — a former Olympic snowboarder — has been tied to at least four murders in Ontario.
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WITNESS EXECUTED
The balding drug lord used long-haul semi-trucks to transport cocaine across Colombia, Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. Bondi said the criminal syndicate annually smuggled more than 60 tonnes of cocaine.
Bondi also alleged that Wedding used a since-shuttered Canadian website called “the dirty news” to post photographs of the informant, who was not named, and his wife to locate them. Mission accomplished, apparently.
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“The witness was gunned down in a restaurant in Medellin, before he could testify against Wedding,” Bondi said.
FBI MOST WANTED
Paradkar allegedly introduced the drug kingpin to traffickers further down the food chain who sold his coke. The feds claimed Paradkar also “helped Wedding with bribery and murder.” The luxury-loving lawyer was paid in cash and pricey watches
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Wedding allegedly laundered the proceeds of his drug ring and used cryptocurrency to conceal them. Bondi said that, so far, roughly US$3.2 million in cryptocurrency has been recovered, and over US$13 million in physical assets have been confiscated.
Wedding is on the FBI’s list of 10 most wanted fugitives. Officials contend he is an extremely violent criminal believed to be responsible for the murder of numerous people abroad, including U.S. citizens.
“Today we’re exposing the network of associates and enablers behind Ryan Wedding — one of the most notorious criminals and narcotraffickers still evading justice,” alleged John K. Hurley, under secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
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“Treasury is joining with the FBI and the Department of Justice to cut Wedding and his criminal partners off from the U.S. financial system and help dismantle the network they rely on. Our goal is simple: Make it difficult for criminals like this to profit from poisoning our communities.”
The FBI alleged Wedding employs highly sophisticated methods in both the planning and execution of those marked for death, demonstrating a level of coordination and ruthlessness that has made him one of the world’s most dangerous fugitives.
CARTEL PROTECTION
Cartel strongman Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado (Vazquez), also known as “the General,” provides protection for Wedding within Mexico and uses police sources to locate targets for the Canadian.
Canadian jeweler Rolan Sokolovski was also arrested. The Toronto man allegedly oversees the bookkeeping for Wedding’s organization and laundered its funds through his jewelry business, 2351885 Ontario Inc, which operates under the trade name “Diamond Tsar” and maintains a storefront in Toronto.
Sokolovski also allegedly transferred millions of dollars in drug proceeds using cryptocurrency, concealing the origins of Wedding’s profits.
bhunter@postmedia.com
@HunterTOSun
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