Jeweller accused of laundering hundreds of millions for Ryan Wedding consents to U.S. extradition

A Toronto-area jeweller accused of serving as a "de facto bank" for Ryan Wedding's purported drug-smuggling network has agreed to be extradited to the U.S., accelerating his prosecution by several months.

Rolan Sokolovski, 38, appeared in downtown Toronto court on Tuesday and consented to extradition, abandoning an extradition hearing that was scheduled for December. His lawyer, Scott K. Fenton, said the decision "is neither an admission of wrongdoing nor an acknowledgement of the strength of the case against him," and that Sokolovski "is presumed innocent and intends to contest the allegations in the California courts."

Sokolovski was arrested in Toronto last November as part of "Operation Giant Slalom," a joint FBI and RCMP investigation into Wedding's network. U.S. prosecutors allege he used cryptocurrency platforms and his Toronto-area business, Diamond Tsar, to move drug proceeds. Prosecutors also say he procured luxury goods for Wedding, including an ultra-rare $13-million US Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster.

He faces conspiracy charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. According to court documents, Sokolovski used aliases "Sushi" and "Applepie" while operating the jewellery business. He is also accused of designing a jewelled necklace for Atna Ohna, an alleged hitman in Wedding's network, as a reward for his purported role in the murder of an FBI witness.

The federal justice minister must still formally approve Sokolovski's surrender to U.S. authorities. Among the three men arrested in Ontario last fall under the operation, Sokolovski is the first to consent to extradition. Another co-accused, Gursewak Singh Bal, has an extradition hearing set for December 10.

Wedding, a former Team Canada Olympic snowboarder, was captured in Mexico in January and transferred to California, where he remains in U.S. custody. Since 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice has indicted at least 34 purported members and associates of his network, which authorities say moved tonnes of cocaine and fentanyl across North America.