Court Filings: Alleged ‘Right-Hand Man’ in Wedding Drug Ring Cooperating with FBI

LOS ANGELES – Andrew Clark, identified by U.S. prosecutors as the second-in-command to alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding, has reportedly provided critical evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation following his October 2024 arrest in Mexico, according to court filings reviewed by CBC News.

Court documents allege that Clark, a Canadian citizen also known by the alias ‘Dictator,’ played a pivotal role in dismantling the transnational criminal enterprise attributed to Wedding. The filings suggest that Clark began cooperating with U.S. law enforcement shortly after his capture by Mexican security forces in Zapopan, Jalisco. Prosecutors claim that Clark’s testimony and decrypted communications have been instrumental in building the federal case against Wedding and several co-defendants.

According to the indictment, the investigation gained momentum following the January 2025 murder of Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, a previous key witness and convicted ecstasy trafficker, in Medellín, Colombia. Investigators allege that Wedding and his associates targeted Acebedo-Garcia to prevent him from testifying. Following this event, the FBI intensified its manhunt, leveraging intelligence that eventually led to Clark’s location. Clark was extradited to the United States in February 2025 alongside 28 other alleged cartel-linked figures.

The review of court records indicates that upon his arrival in California, Clark began providing investigators with detailed insights into the organization’s logistics. The FBI reportedly seized Clark’s mobile device, which contained encrypted messages via the application Threema. These communications allegedly link the network to multiple murders and the trafficking of tonnes of cocaine into Canada. One message cited in the filings allegedly shows Clark admitting to an attempted murder.

The cooperation of the alleged lieutenant also implicated other Canadian nationals. The documents identify Deepak Paradkar, a Toronto-area lawyer, and Rolan Sokolovski, a jeweller, as alleged facilitators within the network. Paradkar is accused of counseling the organization to eliminate the initial informant, while Sokolovski is alleged to have laundered money and procured luxury assets for Wedding. Both men were arrested in Canada in November 2025 and face extradition to the U.S. Paradkar has denied wrongdoing, and Sokolovski’s legal counsel has rejected the characterization of his client’s involvement.

Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, was arrested in Mexico in January 2026 and immediately flown to California to face charges. Both Wedding and Clark have pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to drug trafficking and murder. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities process the intelligence provided by the cooperating witness.

Investigative Outlook

The conversion of a high-ranking lieutenant into a cooperating witness represents a significant tactical advantage for federal prosecutors in complex Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) and conspiracy cases. By securing testimony from an individual alleged to be the ‘right-hand man,’ the Department of Justice can corroborate digital evidence and financial records with first-hand narrative accounts of the criminal enterprise’s hierarchy and decision-making processes. This development likely increases the pressure on co-defendants to seek plea deals and significantly strengthens the government’s position regarding the extradition and prosecution of the remaining international associates.

It is important to note that all individuals mentioned in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.