An Ontario lawyer, accused of playing a significant role in an international drug smuggling operation, has been granted bail in anticipation of his upcoming extradition hearing.
Deepak Paradkar, aged 62, is among the group of Canadians detained recently for potential extradition to the United States. This development comes as part of an FBI probe aimed at Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder now alleged to be the leader of a violent criminal syndicate.
According to authorities, the lawyer from Thornhill, Ontario, is implicated in advising Wedding on a federal witness’s murder, connecting the ex-athlete with drug traffickers operating across North America, and overseeing intelligence efforts post law enforcement drug seizures.
While federal prosecutors raised concerns about Paradkar posing a high flight risk due to the severe potential consequences he faces if convicted in the U.S., his defense attorney argued the opposite. The defense maintained that Paradkar has no affiliations with any other nation and has staked his family’s financial security to secure his release.
In his bail proposal, Paradkar suggested strict conditions, such as round-the-clock home confinement, GPS tracking, and restricted access to electronic devices unless supervised by his guarantors.
