Lawyer Deepak Paradkar in Hamilton, Ont., in April, 2017. Crown lawyers believe Mr. Paradkar must be denied bail because he is a flight risk.Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press
Toronto-area lawyer Deepak Paradkar, who is facing extradition to the United States on charges tied to the sprawling case against alleged cocaine kingpin and fugitive Ryan Wedding, argued for his release on bail Wednesday, telling the court that he is prepared to post as much as $5-million.
Mr. Paradkar, 62, is accused of murder conspiracy in the killing of a witness for the FBI who was expected to testify against Mr. Wedding. Wearing a blue blazer and with a grey beard, Mr. Paradkar appeared in the witness box in Ontario Superior Court to make a plea for his interim release from jail, where he has been held since his arrest in November, pending the outcome of his extradition proceeding.
Mr. Paradkar said he is proposing to be kept under conditions similar to 24-hour house arrest. He said he would post a $2.5-million bail and that his wife would post an additional $2.5-million, adding that this represents the family’s total assets.
“That’s basically our entire lives,” he said.
Mr. Paradkar said he believes that he’s at the outset of a lengthy legal bid to fight extradition.
“I know it’s a long haul,” he said. “I know there’s a fight to be had.”
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Earlier Wednesday, Crown lawyers Milica Potrebic and Heather Graham told the court that Mr. Paradkar must be denied bail because he is a flight risk. They said he is a central figure in the case against Mr. Wedding and that his continued detention was necessary to protect the public and maintain confidence in the justice system. The bail hearing is expected to continue Thursday.
Mr. Paradkar is among eight Canadians arrested by the RCMP in November in connection with the Wedding case. Efforts to extradite the accused could be lengthy and are expected to be complicated by questions about whether U.S. prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Until his arrest, Mr. Paradkar was known as a flashy, brash defence lawyer and someone that alleged drug dealers in Canada paid handsomely to keep them out of jail. He long embraced the infamy of representing notorious clients, including serial killer Dellen Millard.
Mr. Paradkar once used the Instagram handle “Cocaine_lawyer” – a nickname referred to in the U.S. indictment – and marketed himself as someone who could help clients beat drug charges.
The Ontario Law Society suspended his licence last week on an interim basis, citing the criminal charges in the U.S.
None of the allegations against Mr. Paradkar have been tested in court. His lawyer, Ravin Pillay, has said that he intends to mount a vigorous defence.
On Wednesday, Crown lawyers questioned Mr. Paradkar extensively about his assets, and whether he has the means to support his family, now that his licence to practise law has been suspended.
Mr. Paradkar told the court that he and his wife own a principal residence, a cottage, a condo and a commercial property.
He testified that his principal residence was broken into in April, saying thieves took jewellery, designer bags and several designer suits. He said that he recently received nearly $800,000 in “insurance settlement funds.”
Mr. Paradkar and his wife have filed a $1.2-million lawsuit against Telus Communications Inc., claiming that thieves stole expensive items and caused extensive damage. The lawsuit alleges negligence and breach of contract relating to the company’s home security services. (Telus intends to defend against the lawsuit, according to a court filing.)
In court, Mr. Paradkar described coming to Canada from India as a child in the 1970s with his parents.
“It’s a classic immigrant story. I came with virtually nothing,” he said.
He said he is being isolated in his cell at Toronto East Detention Centre and has endured multiple lockdowns.
“It is very, very difficult conditions,” he said.
The Ontario Superior Court filings show that the evidence against Mr. Paradkar comes from a co-operating FBI witness and from a phone belonging to Mr. Wedding’s alleged second-in-command, Andrew Clark. The phone was seized by Mexican authorities and handed over to the FBI in March, 2025, after Mr. Clark’s arrest.
According to U.S. authorities, the alleged murder conspiracy was hatched to help Mr. Wedding escape the reach of the U.S. charges he has faced for the past year.
The witness/victim is identified in Montreal court documents as Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia. He was shot five times in the head in January in Colombia and died instantly after Mr. Wedding reportedly placed a bounty on him, authorities allege.
“The lawyer in Canada, his lawyer, advised him to kill this witness,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California told reporters in Washington when the indictment was unsealed last month. “His lawyer told him, ‘If you kill this witness, the case will be dismissed.’ ”
The U.S. Department of Justice says Mr. Paradkar was a member of Mr. Wedding’s criminal enterprise and provided a range of illegal services to him and his drug-trafficking organization that went “beyond the scope of a normal attorney-client relationship.” Investigators allege that he introduced Mr. Wedding to the drug traffickers who moved his cocaine.
With a report from Stephanie Chambers