December 12,2025
RED FM News Desk
A Toronto-area lawyer accused of advising fugitive Ryan Wedding to murder an FBI informant would be in serious danger if released on bail, an Ontario court was told.
Deepak Paradkar, 62, appeared in a downtown Toronto courtroom on Friday for the third consecutive day of his bail hearing. Arrested last month, Paradkar is facing extradition to the United States, where he is alleged to have played a significant role in Wedding’s violent drug-trafficking operation.
A federal prosecutor from the Department of Justice Canada told the court that Paradkar remains a major liability to Wedding’s organization as long as legal proceedings are ongoing, placing him at extreme risk. The organization, which authorities say is linked to dozens of murders, would be highly motivated to prevent Paradkar from testifying in a California court. The prosecutor warned that the threat could extend to Paradkar’s family and associates.
U.S. authorities allege that Wedding and his deputy, Andrew Clark, paid Paradkar with cash and luxury watches in exchange for legal and operational assistance. Prosecutors claim Paradkar used his position as a lawyer to gather intelligence, assist in identifying trucking routes used to smuggle cocaine from Los Angeles into Canada, and advise Wedding on eliminating a former associate who had become an FBI informant.
According to a U.S. indictment unsealed last month, Paradkar was known by aliases including “cocaine lawyer” and “Descartes.” If convicted of charges such as conspiracy to commit murder and retaliation against a witness, he faces a mandatory life sentence. His law licence was suspended last week, and he has denied all allegations.
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder who competed for Canada in 2002, is currently on the FBI’s 10 most-wanted list and is believed to be hiding in Mexico while overseeing a criminal network with ties to the Sinaloa cartel.
Court filings also reference encrypted communications in which Clark allegedly told Wedding that Paradkar was “on it” following the seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in Arkansas in 2024. The filings further allege that Wedding ordered violence against multiple individuals connected to the investigation, including the killing of a former associate in Colombia.
Justice Peter Bawden noted that if Paradkar were released on bail, his foremost concern would be personal safety. Prosecutors agreed, saying Paradkar and even his proposed sureties, including his wife, would be at serious risk. Authorities also argue that Paradkar presents a substantial flight risk.
The court is expected to decide whether to grant or deny bail on December 23.
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