After an FBI informant was killed last year, “cocaine lawyer” Deepak Paradkar doubled down on his assertion that the FBI’s case against accused drug kingpin Ryan Wedding would unravel, now that the man had been killed, according to new evidence from U.S. prosecutors.
Prosecutors have previously alleged that Paradkar advised Wedding and his second-in-command Andrew Clark to kill the informant to ensure the case against them would collapse.
In a new court filing, Paradkar is accused of “reaffirming that belief” in conversations with Wedding and a co-operating witness that the FBI’s case was “no longer viable” after the January 2025 killing of Montreal-born former drug trafficker-turned-FBI informant Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia.
Paradkar, a well-known Brampton, Ont., criminal defence lawyer who once went by “cocaine lawyer” on social media was arrested in November, amid accusations he played a key role in Wedding’s alleged murderous drug-trafficking empire.
Deepak Paradkar is accused of advising Ryan Wedding and his second-in-command Andrew Clark to murder an FBI witness to avoid extradition from Mexico. (Joanna Ward/CBC)
New insight into the FBI’s investigation also reveals new details about the allegations against Paradkar, which include how he used his law practice to facilitate introductions to drug traffickers and on how he shared legal disclosure with Wedding and Clark.
The revelations are contained in a 46-page record of the case, which was reviewed by CBC News after it was shared with defence lawyers representing some of Wedding’s associates arrested in Canada in November.
Paradkar is facing extradition to the U.S., where he could receive a life sentence if he is convicted of charges including conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to retaliate against a witness.
Paradkar’s license to practice law was suspended in December and he was released on $5 -million bail. He’s denied any wrongdoing.
Accused of using legal channels to help Wedding
The case record states Paradkar had access to high-level drug traffickers through his law practice and used it to broker deals and facilitate client introductions.
After Toronto police announced their largest-ever drug bust in January 2025 — $83 million worth of cocaine — Paradkar was hired to defend some of those charged, according to the U.S. court filing.
At the time, investigators said the cocaine appeared to be linked to one of Mexico’s most notorious drug syndicates, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel — considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Canadian governments. Mexican authorities have also linked the group to Wedding’s purported drug ring.
It’s alleged that Paradkar was on Wedding’s payroll and “oversaw cases of individuals arrested that could report on the Wedding [drug trafficking organization],” the document reads.
“Paradkar would obtain discovery, pass the discovery onto Wedding and Clark, and at times when requested, let Wedding and Clark listen in on client conversations where the clients were members or associates of the [drug trafficking organization].”
It says Wedding and Clark paid Paradkar a fee for these additional services and that Clark paid Paradkar approximately $1 million in a 12-month period for various “favours.”
According to a previous court filing, Wedding and Clark would compensate Paradkar in the form of “bulk cash drops” and expensive watches.
Andrew Clark was arrested in October 2024 in a dramatic operation involving the Mexican navy in the Guadalajara area. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California/X/JaliscoRojo)
U.S. authorities also accuse Paradkar of helping Wedding and Clark obtain information on two of the Wedding organization’s alleged drug couriers who had been arrested in October 2024 when police conducted a traffic stop in Arkansas and seized approximately 1,000 pounds of cocaine.
The documents points to messages on Clark’s phone, where he asked Wedding, “Want deepak on it”
Wedding replied, “Yes.”
A short time later, Clark responded, “Deepak on it.”
In a three-way chat with Clark, Paradkar and another individual, Paradkar said he was “on with the cops.”
And wrote, “Send me bro number tell them I’m the lawyer so I can get report,” according to the court filing.
The filing argues that Paradkar wanted to request the police report detailing the information of the traffic stop so he could provide it to Wedding and Clark, allowing them to figure out if anyone was co-operating with police.
Allegations of sharing disclosure
In fall 2024, Paradkar allegedly sent Clark numerous screenshots of disclosure from a murder investigation in Caledon, Ont., that Clark and Wedding are accused of orchestrating, according to the case summary.
“On September 11, 2024, Paradkar sent Clark numerous screenshots of what appeared to be law enforcement disclosure. Based on his/her review of the content sent, the [co-operating witness] is expected to testify that the screenshots were in fact disclosure from Ontario Provincial Police [OPP] Project Midnight,” the document reads.
Canadian Ryan Wedding, 44, was arrested in Mexico City and is now in custody in the U.S. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
The shooting, a case of mistaken identity, killed a couple visiting from India and injured their daughter. The intended target had previously been associated with the home in which the family was staying, but no longer lived there, according to police.
Wedding and Clark have pleaded not guilty in the case.
Jagtar Sidhu, left, and Harbhajan Sidhu were killed after they were shot at a Caledon, Ont., rental house in November 2023. The couple had come from India to visit their children. (Submitted by Gurdit Singh Sidhu)
Project Midnight was a joint investigation between the OPP and Peel Regional Police. The OPP didn’t answer questions about whether it was aware that Paradkar had obtained disclosure from the case and how he could have gotten it by deadline.
Peel police deferred questions to Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General. Both entities would not comment because the matter was before the courts.
Paradkar maintains innocence
Paradkar’s lawyer Ravin Pillay didn’t provide a response by publication. He previously told CBC his client maintains his innocence.
In a statement provided in December, Pillay said the case against his client rests “almost entirely on the word of a co-operating witness” who has participated in at least one murder and was a key figure in an international drug organization.
“Any prosecution based on the evidence of such witnesses is dangerous and must be viewed with skepticism,” Pillay said.
None of the allegations against Wedding, Clark and Paradkar have been proven in court.
CBC previously reported that Clark flipped and became an FBI informant after the informant Acebedo-Garcia’s killing, unbeknownst to Wedding. Clark, who used to live in Burlington, Ont., is expected to testify against Wedding when their case is slated to go to trial in Los Angeles later this year.