The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently announced a series of arrests in association with a cocaine empire allegedly spearheaded by Ryan Wedding, a professional snowboarder who represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Utah in 2002.
Investigators have also charged a 37-year-old Toronto jewellery store owner, alleging he laundered drug proceeds and acquired luxury items for Wedding.
Rolan Sokolovski has been accused of organising the ‘bookkeeping’ for the criminal enterprise and used his jewellery store in Toronto to launder money. US authorities allege Sokolovski transferred millions of dollars in drug money using cryptocurrency.
“The indictment alleges he was ‘concealing their drug trafficking proceeds’, including receiving more than $USD20 million worth of cryptocurrency in eight months. He is a jeweller and poker player by trade, and runs a jewellery business in downtown Toronto under the name Diamond Tsar, officials said,” a report from the National Post explains.
“It advertises itself as a wholesale diamond dealer and engagement ring specialist. Sokolovski is named in the US indictment unsealed this week, alleging he acquired luxury items for Wedding and Wedding’s alleged second-in-command, Andrew Clark.”
“After the January murder in Colombia of a witness who was cooperating with the FBI against Wedding, Sokolovski allegedly made a bejewelled necklace as a reward for the alleged Canadian hitman.”
The report continues: “The indictment says he is known by nicknames ‘The Jew’ and ‘Sushi’ and is facing charges in the United States for drug conspiracy and money laundering.”
The FBI alleges that after stepping away from the sport, Wedding went on to become the leader of a billion-dollar cocaine cartel, responsible for orchestrating numerous violent crimes and murders. Wedding is said to be the largest supplier of cocaine in Canada and is believed to be hiding in Mexico.
The FBI has likened Wedding to other famous drug kingpins, including Pablo Escobar and Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.
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