Killing of key witness in fugitive ex-Olympian case undermines prosecution: co-accused’s lawyer

The defence lawyer for an alleged accomplice of Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding has cast doubt on the viability of the case against his client after the reported assassination of a key witness.

Former trucker Gurpreet Singh — accused of helping to co-ordinate cocaine shipments from California to Canada on behalf of Wedding’s alleged crime ring — appeared for a bail hearing in a downtown Toronto court Friday. He faces extradition to the U.S., where prosecutors want him to stand trial on drug-related charges.

Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, was named last week (new window) one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives. Authorities are offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to his arrest.

In court on Friday, defence lawyer Peter Thorning raised the prospect that U.S. authorities’ case against Singh could be undermined now that the FBI’s main witness in the investigation will no longer be testifying. He said Canadian authorities have not provided a reason for the change of plans.

The witness, a former drug trafficker-turned-informant, was first identified (new window) by the Toronto Star as Canadian-Colombian Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia. A longtime associate of Wedding, court records suggest the two first met when they were both incarcerated in Texas more than a decade ago.

According to Colombian media reports, Acebedo-Garcia was gunned down in a Medellin restaurant in January before he could testify in the sprawling FBI case against Wedding and his associates.

According to a summary of U.S. evidence filed in Ontario Superior Court, the witness met with Singh and his uncle and co-accused, Hardeep Ratte, at a Toronto-area auto body shop as part of the FBI’s investigation. At the meeting — which prosecutors said was recorded — Singh and Ratte allegedly agreed to transport bulk quantities of cocaine on behalf of Wedding’s network.

WATCH: Ryan Wedding’s path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive:

Ryan Wedding’s path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive

Ryan Wedding once represented Canada as an Olympic snowboarder; now he’s accused of being a drug kingpin and is on the FBI’s most wanted list — with a $10 million US reward being offered for information leading to his arrest. CBC’s Thomas Daigle traces his shocking path from the top of the slopes to the underworld.

This is a case involving a single eyewitness to the most important piece of evidence in this case, which is the meeting, Thorning told Superior Court Justice Michael Dineen.

U.S. prosecutors have warned against granting bail to Singh, one of Wedding’s four co-defendants in custody in Ontario. They suggested in a recent letter submitted to the Ontario court that Singh, 31, poses a substantial flight risk, and that a recent kidnapping incident suggests he and his girlfriend owe a debt to Wedding.

Wedding should not be granted access to an additional loyalist through the release of Singh on bail, Los Angeles-based assistant U.S. attorneys Maria Jhai and Lyndsi Allsop recently wrote.

According to the prosecutors, Wedding took credit for negotiating Singh’s release last summer, after the Brampton, Ont.-born man was kidnapped by cartel members in Sinaloa, Mexico, over a $600,000 drug debt.

Singh’s lawyer, Thorning said Friday he would not comment on all the wild statements before the court. But he insisted Singh does not pose a flight risk and should be released on bail.

There’s no evidence of any ability to flee, Thorning said.

Earlier in the day, Singh testified from the witness box, speaking softly — sometimes making it hard to hear from the public gallery — in a grey blazer and navy turtleneck. He said he’s made no income since his dump truck business went bankrupt in 2021.

Asked by federal Crown counsel Kiran Gill about several lengthy stints abroad — including weeks or months at a time spent in the United Arab Emirates, Colombia and Mexico — Singh described them as business trips for his girlfriend, with all expenses covered by her.

She was looking for more locations for the Toronto brunch restaurant she owns, Singh testified.

According to court records, the FBI’s key witness also flew to meet with Singh last year in Dubai. U.S. prosecutors allege Singh has extensive organized crime connections within Dubai, including relationships with members of the Kinahan gang, which is a well-known, violent organized crime group operating throughout the world.

Singh is also alleged to have been involved in a scheme to ship stolen high-end cars to Dubai through the port of Montreal.

Toronto police arrested Singh in October on the 34th floor of the five-star St. Regis Hotel. He told court he’d been living there with his girlfriend and that she covered rent payments.

The woman sat silently in the courtroom for Singh’s testimony.

His bail hearing continues Friday afternoon.

This article is republished from RCI.