A jeweller from the Toronto area accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for Ryan Wedding’s alleged drug-smuggling operation has agreed to be extradited to the United States for trial. Rolan Sokolovski’s lawyer maintains his client’s innocence and plans to challenge the charges against him. The decision to consent to extradition was made earlier than expected, as Sokolovski was initially slated for an extradition hearing in December. The lawyer emphasized that agreeing to extradition does not imply guilt or an admission of the strength of the case.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Sokolovski acted as a “de facto bank” for Wedding by handling drug proceeds and acquiring high-end items for the fugitive, including a rare $13 million US Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster. Sokolovski, a 38-year-old originally from Lithuania, was apprehended in Toronto last November during a joint operation by the FBI and RCMP targeting Wedding’s network. He has been detained at Ontario’s Maplehurst jail after being denied bail.
Court documents allege that Sokolovski, also known as Sushi and Applepie, utilized cryptocurrency platforms and his business, Diamond Tsar, in the Toronto area to launder money for Wedding’s criminal enterprise. Facing charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Sokolovski also stands accused of designing a jewelled necklace for Atna Ohna, suspected to be a hitman for Wedding’s group, as a reward for his involvement in an FBI witness’s murder.
While Sokolovski’s lawyer reiterated his client’s presumption of innocence and intention to contest the allegations in California courts, the final decision on his surrender to U.S. authorities rests with the federal justice minister. The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted numerous individuals associated with Wedding’s drug ring, which authorities say trafficked large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl across North America and committed numerous homicides.
Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was apprehended in Mexico earlier this year and transferred to California. Although Wedding is in U.S. custody, his current location is not publicly disclosed. Sokolovski is the first of three individuals arrested in Ontario last year in connection with “Operation Giant Slalom” to agree to extradition. Gursewak Singh Bal, a Canadian crime blogger implicated in the conspiracy, is scheduled for an extradition hearing in December. Singh Bal is linked to the murder of Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, an FBI witness, through his website, Dirty News.
Deepak Paradkar, a prominent criminal lawyer accused of accepting bribes while working for Wedding’s network, is still contesting extradition. Paradkar denies any wrongdoing, and despite a failed attempt to revoke his bail, he continues to resist extradition. Wedding is scheduled for two separate trials later this year, as per the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office, with the first trial set to commence on October 27.