A jeweller from the Toronto area, accused of being involved in laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for Ryan Wedding’s alleged drug-smuggling operation, has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face trial. Despite this, Rolan Sokolovski’s legal representative asserts that his client is considered innocent and intends to challenge the charges brought against him.
Attorney Scott K. Fenton verified via email to CBC News that Sokolovski appeared in a court in downtown Toronto earlier on Tuesday and consented to expedite his extradition, several months ahead of schedule. Fenton emphasized that agreeing to extradition does not imply guilt or an admission of the strength of the case against Sokolovski.
US prosecutors claim that Sokolovski acted as a financial institution for Wedding by moving illicit funds and purchasing luxury items for the fugitive, including a rare $13 million US Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster. Sokolovski, a 38-year-old Lithuanian national, was arrested in Toronto last November as part of a joint operation conducted by the FBI and RCMP targeting Wedding’s criminal network. He has been detained at Maplehurst jail in Ontario after being denied bail.
Allegations suggest that Sokolovski, known by the aliases Sushi and Applepie, utilized cryptocurrency platforms and his business, Diamond Tsar, located in the Toronto area, to launder proceeds on behalf of Wedding’s international criminal enterprise. Sokolovski is facing conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering in the US District Court in Los Angeles.
Furthermore, Sokolovski is accused of designing a jewelled necklace for Atna Ohna, an alleged hitman from Montreal associated with Wedding’s network, as a reward for his purported involvement in the murder of an FBI informant. Fenton, Sokolovski’s attorney, reiterated that his client is presumed innocent and plans to challenge the accusations in Californian courts.
The final decision on whether Sokolovski will be extradited to US authorities rests with the federal justice minister. The US Department of Justice has indicted over 34 individuals linked to Wedding’s drug ring since 2024. Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was apprehended in Mexico in January and promptly transferred to California. His current location is undisclosed in public prison records.
Sokolovski, along with Deepak Paradkar and Gursewak Singh Bal, was arrested in Ontario last year as part of the investigation codenamed “Operation Giant Slalom.” Sokolovski is the first among the three to consent to extradition. Singh Bal, a Canadian crime blogger also facing charges in the US related to the conspiracy, is scheduled for an extradition hearing in December.
Singh Bal operated the Dirty News website, believed by US authorities to have facilitated the setup of the murder of Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, an FBI informant shot in Medellín, Colombia. Paradkar, a prominent criminal lawyer accused by US prosecutors of receiving illicit payments and luxury items in his role within Wedding’s network, is contesting extradition. Ontario’s highest court has dismissed his appeal to revoke his bail.
Wedding is expected to undergo two separate trials later this year for indictments filed in 2024 and 2025, during his time as a fugitive. The first trial is currently scheduled to commence on October 27.
