Who is Deepak Paradkar, the Brampton lawyer tied to alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding?
CBC
After years in the spotlight serving as a defence lawyer for some of southern Ontario's biggest criminal cases, a well-known Greater Toronto Area attorney is now facing charges linked to a massive cocaine smuggling ring.
Brampton criminal lawyer Deepak Paradkar is one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s criminal enterprise and the death of an FBI witness.
Paradkar — who as recently as a week ago appears to have still been actively responding to Google reviews for his legal practice — was arrested by the RCMP on Tuesday after “a little bit of resistance,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at a news conference Wednesday.
She said the lawyer is now facing extradition to the United States to face charges in the Central District of California, as stated in a U.S. federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Paradkar — also referenced in the U.S. indictment as the “cocaine_lawyer” based on his former social media handle — is facing allegations of advising Wedding and “his second-in-command,” Andrew Clark, to murder an FBI witness to “avoid extradition from Mexico” in another criminal case.
Wedding, an ex-Canadian Olympian from Thunder Bay, Ont., is listed as one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives. He is accused, according to the indictment, of offering “a multi-million-dollar bounty” for the death of an FBI witness, who was gunned down in Medellin, Colombia in January this year.
The witness was meant to testify against Wedding in a separate case, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
The indictment also alleges Paradkar provided Wedding and Clark with court documents and access to individuals "either arrested, indicted or under investigation” through attorneys he secured to represent them.
“The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” said Bill Essayli, assistant of the Central District of California.
“This week’s arrests underscore our resolve to root out and punish the wrongdoers involved in this criminal organization and serve as a warning for drug lord Ryan Wedding: If convicted, you will never see the outside of a prison ever again.”
The arrested Canadians are facing several charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, said Michael Duheme, RCMP commissioner.
Duheme said he’s unsure of the timeline of the U.S. extraditions as the cases are “before the courts.”
Paradkar is well known in Ontario legal circles and has been practicing law in the province for decades. It was not uncommon for him to give lengthy interviews with reporters outside courthouses during high-profile trials, answering questions before a line of cameras.
Lawyer Gary Batasar told CBC News Wednesday that Paradkar “is an interesting person” who “liked his nice cars and suits and watches.”
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