Deepak Paradkar, a longtime Ontario lawyer, is among eight people in Canada charged in the U.S. over alleged ties to wanted fugitive Ryan Wedding.Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press
Toronto-area defence lawyer Deepak Paradkar is a member of alleged drug trafficker Ryan Wedding’s inner circle whose penchant for Rolex watches, Gucci bags and Maserati cars belies his arguments that he should be given bail, a prosecutor told court on Thursday.
Crown attorney Heather Graham told a Toronto court that Mr. Paradkar is a flight risk who could flee to Mexico, where Mr. Wedding is believed to be hiding, or elsewhere in the world if he is released.
Mr. Paradkar, 62, is among eight people in Canada charged in the U.S. last month over alleged ties to Mr. Wedding, whom the Federal Bureau of Investigation alleges is the head of a multibillion-dollar drug-trafficking operation.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Mr. Paradkar advised Mr. Wedding to murder an FBI informant who was killed in Colombia in January, and that he abused his role as a lawyer to gather intelligence for Mr. Wedding’s criminal cocaine-trafficking network.
“This is one of the exceptional cases where detention is necessary,” Ms. Graham told Mr. Paradkar’s bail hearing.
Facing extradition, lawyer charged in Ryan Wedding case offers $5-million for bail release
Earlier this week, Mr. Paradkar testified that he would need to use nearly all of his and his wife’s assets to cover his proposal of $5-million bail. He said he was suffering health problems and extremely isolating conditions in jail.
Mr. Paradkar also said that if he is given bail, he would wear a GPS bracelet, surrender his passport and electronic devices, and submit to conditions approximating 24-hour house arrest.
Ms. Graham said Mr. Paradkar’s net worth is incalculable, pointing to the allegations levelled by the FBI that Mr. Wedding‘s gang paid him in “bulk cash drops” and luxury watches.
“There is no plan capable of addressing the exceptional risks,” Ms. Graham told the court. “Mexico isn’t the only place available to Mr. Paradkar. With access to these types of resources and connections, the world is his oyster, I would say.”
Most of the new allegations released last month relate to the murder of the FBI informant.
FBI releases new photo of Ryan Wedding as they track down alleged drug kingpin
Crown prosecutors pointed out that Mr. Paradkar was on vacation in Mexico last year before that murder took place.
“All of this, of course, your Honour, is exceptionally aggravated by Mr. Paradkar’s status as an officer of the court,” Ms. Graham said.
While two of Mr. Paradkar’s closest relatives appeared in court this week to speak in support of his proposed bail plan, Crown attorneys raised questions about whether they were duped by a man leading a double life.
Much of Thursday’s hearing was consumed by questions about Mr. Paradkar’s lifestyle. While he said he netted about $500,000 a year as a criminal lawyer, and only in his most recent years, prosecutors said that he accumulated designer suits for himself and handbags for his wife, while wearing luxury watches and driving exquisite high-end cars.
Court heard that Mr. Paradkar drove several luxury vehicles prior to his arrest. According to a Globe and Mail search of provincial lien records on Nov. 19, Mr. Paradkar had access to a 2023 Mercedes-Benz, a 2022 Maserati and a 2017 Maserati. On Thursday, court heard testimony that the cars were valued at more than $200,000 each.
Long before Ryan Wedding was one of the FBI’s most wanted, he was swept up in a U.S. drug case
Family members told the court, however, that the cars were leased and that they no longer use most of them.
“One of the Maseratis was worth upwards of $200,OOO,” Ms. Graham told the court on Thursday. When Justice Peter Bawden pointed out that Mr. Paradkar didn’t actually own the car, she replied it was still very expensive. “Those are not going to be inexpensive leases,” Ms. Graham said.
Mr. Paradkar told the court that his bail plan – $2.5-million from him, $2.5-million from his wife – is an extremely onerous amount. “That’s basically our entire lives,” he said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Mr. Paradkar’s defence, lawyer Ravin Pillay said that Canadian law does not allow judges to deny people bail because of their notoriety.
He said that Mr. Paradkar’s only alleged worth to the Ryan Wedding organization was his ability to act as a lawyer – and that cannot now happen, because his licence was suspended last week.
Mr. Paradkar’s bail hearing continues Friday.
With reports from Jill Mahoney and Stephanie Chambers