Lawyers for man accused in Ryan Wedding case argue he’s not a flight risk

TORONTO — An Ontario man accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for an international drug smuggling ring wouldn’t pose a flight risk if released on bail, his lawyers argued Wednesday, suggesting he’d previously passed on opportunities to make his escape.

Rolan Sokolovski had two significant opportunities to flee as it became clear he was under investigation, but didn’t seek to evade capture, his lawyer Scott Fenton said in his submissions to a Toronto court.

Sokolovski was detained by border officials in Chicago last April and questioned by U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents as well as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, then released that same day, court heard.

He was also turned away after landing in the Bahamas with his fiancée for a one-week vacation in early November, and the pair flew back to Canada together.

“Rolan Sokolovski had two clear chances to flee — and he didn’t,” Fenton said.

The 37-year-old now has four sureties who are pledging their savings and wouldn’t risk compromising their finances or those relationships by contravening the conditions of his release, the lawyer continued.

“It makes no sense that he would … try and run for the hills when it’s virtually impossible to do that anyway,” he argued.

Sokolovski, a jeweller and former professional poker player, is seeking to be released on bail ahead of his extradition hearing.

Sokolovski is one of eight Canadians arrested in November as part of an ongoing investigation targeting fugitive Ryan Wedding, a former Team Canada snowboarder now allegedly running a billion-dollar drug trafficking network.

U.S. authorities allege Sokolovski served as the “de facto bank” for the criminal enterprise, oversaw its bookkeeping and laundered drug money through his jewelry business, Diamond Tsar.

In a letter last month, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged Sokolovski has “tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency and physical assets at his disposal,” and poses a flight risk as well as a danger to the public.

On Wednesday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden asked federal prosecutors in Toronto whether there was any evidence, aside from speculation, that Sokolovski had access to such funds.

“He was the one in control and he was the money mover,” federal Crown attorney Heather Graham replied.

“If anyone knows how to get access to those funds, knows how to hide money or access hidden money, it’s Mr. Sokolovski.”

Sokolovski didn’t expect to be arrested and there are “presumably accounts still out there that only he can access,” she argued, adding that the organization would be highly motivated to retrieve that money and keep Sokolovski out of the hands of justice.

That’s in addition to Sokolovski’s own “extraordinary” incentive to take off, Graham said, arguing he could continue his alleged work for the organization from anywhere.

Prosecutors pressed Sokolovski on his finances last week, and questioned the four people proposing to supervise him if he is released on bail.

None of the proposed sureties had ever discussed Sokolovski’s wealth or income with him, and they “refused to contemplate” whether the allegations about his role in the organization could explain his luxurious lifestyle, the prosecutor argued.

“The evidence of the sureties on the stand was rooted in an unquestioning trust of Mr. Sokolovski and I’d submit that there’s no basis for confidence that they’re going to be able to and willing to pivot to exercise the supervision and control that would be necessary in this role,” she said.

The identities of the proposed sureties — which includes information regarding their employment and their relationship to Sokolovski — are protected under a publication ban meant to reduce the risk to their safety.

Sokolovski’s legal team is proposing to have him live with three of his sureties if released on bail, and be placed on house arrest with round-the-clock GPS monitoring. Other conditions include remaining in Ontario, turning in his passport and not communicating with any of his co-accused.

Though born in Lithuania, Sokolovski only has a Canadian passport and has no meaningful connections abroad, his lawyers argued. He does, however, have “solid roots” in the Greater Toronto Area, they added.

The judge is set to deliver his ruling on the bail application on Feb. 20.

Wedding, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, was added to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list last year.

His organization is alleged to have transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada by way of Mexico and the U.S.

Wedding and his second-in-command are also accused of taking out hits on people they perceived as a threat to the organization’s operations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2026.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press