CHANDIGARH: Ten individuals — including two Indian-origin Canadian nationals — have been arrested in a sweeping US-led international crackdown targeting a major drug trafficking and murder conspiracy network linked to a high-profile witness killing in Colombia earlier this year.
The arrested men of Indian origin have been identified as Deepak Balwant Paradkar (62) and Gursewak Singh Bal (31).
Bal is a Canadian criminal barrister. The arrests were announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on November 19 following the unsealing of a nine-count federal grand jury indictment.
According to the DOJ, 11 defendants are now in custody as part of the case centered on Ryan James Wedding (44), a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada who is currently on the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives list. Wedding is accused of running a violent criminal enterprise that trafficked large quantities of cocaine and carried out multiple murders, including the January 31, 2025 killing of a federal witness in Medellín, Colombia.
Authorities have announced an increased $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest or prosecution.
Arrests Under “Operation Giant Slalom”
The following individuals were arrested on Tuesday during the second phase of the multinational operation: Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, Thornhill, Ontario Atna Ohna, 40, Laval, Québec Gursewak Singh Bal, 31, Mississauga, Ontario Allistair Chapman, 33, Calgary Ahmad Nabil Zitoun, 35, Edmonton Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, 47, Bogotá Yulieth Katherine Tejada, 36, Orlando, Florida Edwin Basora-Hernandez, 31, Montréal Wilson Riascos, 45, Cali, Colombia Rolan Sokolovski, 37, Toronto
US authorities say Wedding issued orders to murder multiple individuals, including a federal witness whose killing he allegedly orchestrated in order to avoid extradition from Mexico. The witness was tracked down and fatally shot at a Medellín restaurant.
Roles of the Indian-Origin Defendants
Paradkar, a criminal barrister, advised Wedding to murder the witness to prevent his extradition and provided him with confidential court documents and access to associates under arrest or investigation.
Bal, co-founder of The Dirty News, allegedly accepted payment from Wedding’s group to suppress information about him while posting the victim’s photograph online to help locate the target.
Wider Network and International Cooperation
The arrests are part of the broader “Operation Take Back America” and the Homeland Security Task Force initiative created under Executive Order 14159. Both initiatives aim to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, drug cartels and human trafficking rings.
Authorities are still searching for four fugitives, namely Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, Vancouver, Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, Mexico City, Tommy Demorizi, 35, Montréal (believed to be in the Dominican Republic), Ryan James Wedding, 44, the alleged mastermind.
The DOJ emphasized that an indictment contains only allegations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.