Canadian jeweller accused of laundering money for ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding faces extradition to U.S.
A 38-year-old Canadian jeweller, Rolan Sokolovski, has been accused of money laundering in connection with a drug cartel network led by a former Canadian Olympian led by Ryan Wedding.
The local jeweller was arrested in November 2025 alongside other suspects in connection with the drug organisations and consented to being extradited to the U.S. after a court hearing on Tuesday.
Prosecutors alleged that he served as a “de facto bank” using his business Diamond Tsar to launder money and also using cryptocurrency platforms to launder money and luxurious assets for the drug network.
Mr Sokolovski was charged by the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with conspiracy to money laundering and drug trafficking.
His attorney said the allegations against Mr Sokolovski would be contested in California to presume him innocent.
However, for the case to proceed the federal minister of justice must decide whether the defendant will formally surrender to the U.S. authorities.
Since 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice has indicted at least 34 individuals in connection with the drug organisation that rafficked tonnes of cocaine and fentanyl across North America.
Mr Wedding, the alleged leader of the organisation, had been on the run but was arrested in Mexico in January and was immediately transferred to custody in California.
Two other individuals have also been fighting extradition on the alleged crimes
Among the individuals are Guesewak Singh Bal, a Canadian crime blogger who faces federal charges and set to commence his extradition hearing on December 10.
A lawyer, Deepak Parader, also faces charges serving as a high-level fixer for Mr Wedding and the organisation.
The attorney challenged the allegations with the Court of Appeal in Ontario denying a bid to overturn his release on bail.
Mr Wedding is set to stand two trials set to begin on October 27.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
NationWide
Tinubu hails Oyedepo at 72
Mr Tinubu joined Mr Oyedepo’s family and the Christian community in celebrating the cleric’s contributions to education, leadership development, and humanitarian service.
Africa
President Ruto hails Dangote Refinery as group accelerates African expansion, targets $36 billion revenue
Kenyan President William Ruto described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as “a masterpiece of science, engineering and art” after touring the world-class facility in Lagos.
NationWide
Nigerians need living wage; minimum wage is N213,000 in Libya, N245,000 in Algeria, N351,000 in Gabon: Atiku
Mr Abubakar challenged President Tinubu to agree immediately to a substantial minimum wage increase that reflects the real cost of food, transport, rent and power.
NationWide
FG targets 10 million globally certified Nigerians by 2030
“Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people: a young, ambitious, English-speaking and increasingly digitally capable population,” Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said.
States
Yobe APC wins all 17 LG chairmanship seats
The Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission (YSIEC) conducted the election for the 17 local government councils on September 26.
Economy
FG approves modernisation of Onne, Rivers, Delta, Calabar ports
Mr Oyetola said expanding port modernisation would help reduce cargo concentration at the Lagos ports by providing efficient alternative gateways for international trade.
