A jeweller from the Toronto area, accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for a purported drug smuggling network linked to Ryan Wedding, has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. for trial. Despite this decision, Rolan Sokolovski’s attorney maintains his client’s innocence and plans to contest the charges brought against him.
Sokolovski, a Lithuanian-born individual aged 38, was arrested in Toronto last November as part of a joint operation conducted by the FBI and RCMP targeting Wedding’s network. He is alleged to have served as a key financial facilitator for Wedding, assisting in the movement of illicit funds and acquiring luxury items for the fugitive, including a rare $13 million US Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster.
Court documents reveal that Sokolovski, known by the aliases Sushi and Applepie, is accused of utilizing cryptocurrency platforms and his business, Diamond Tsar, in the Toronto region to launder money for Wedding’s criminal enterprise. He now faces conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Sokolovski’s attorney emphasized that his client maintains his innocence and intends to challenge the allegations in court. The final decision on Sokolovski’s extradition rests with the federal justice minister. Sokolovski is the first among three individuals arrested in Ontario to consent to extradition, with the others facing pending extradition hearings.
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympian and alleged cocaine kingpin, was captured in Mexico earlier this year and is currently held in U.S. custody. The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted numerous members and associates of Wedding’s drug ring, which is accused of trafficking large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl across North America and being involved in multiple homicides.
Wedding is set to face multiple trials for separate indictments filed while he was a fugitive, with the first trial scheduled to commence later this year.