Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A Canadian lawyer accused of playing a key role in an international drug trafficking network linked to a former Olympic snowboarder was granted bail Tuesday ahead of his extradition hearing. United States of America,
Deepak Paradkar, 62, was arrested last month along with several other Canadians on a US extradition request and as part of a. FBI The investigation targeted former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who is now accused of leading a violent criminal organization.
Authorities are offering up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Wedding, who is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. He is believed to be living here Mexico under the protection of sinaloa posterAuthorities say he is working with a cartel to deliver large quantities of drugs to Canada and the U,S,
Wedding and his co-conspirators are accused of posting a photograph of a murder witness on the Internet so that the man could be identified and executed. The man was shot in the head in January at a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia.
Paradkar is accused of introducing Wedding to smugglers moving drugs through North America and directing intelligence gathering after the drugs were seized by law enforcement. Thornhill, OntarioThe lawyer is said to have advised the former athlete in the case of a murder witness.
Federal prosecutors in the US opposed Paradkar’s release on bail in Canada, saying that if he were released on bail he would have an “extraordinary” incentive to flee as he would face multiple life sentences if convicted in the US.
Paradkar’s defense argued that he had no ties to any other country and that he put his family’s financial condition at stake in supporting his release.
Ontario Superior Court Judge Peter Bowden said in his ruling that he found it “highly unlikely” that Paradkar, who has no criminal record, would attempt to go underground in Canada. The judge also cited Paradkar’s poor health and his wife’s testimony that she would ensure he complied with the bail conditions.
It is unclear when the extradition hearing will take place.