One of four co-defendants in an international drug-trafficking case involving a former Canadian Olympian is asking an Ontario court to release him on bail ahead of his possible extradition to the United States, where he faces charges that could land him in prison. the life
Hardeep Ratte was charged with drug trafficking in connection with two cocaine shipments from Los Angeles to Canada in March and April 2024, allegedly as part of a fugitive drug ring led by former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which represents the Crown in the current case in Ontario court, said in court documents that the shipment contained between 293 and 375 kilograms of cocaine.
The FBI claims that Rhett agreed to ship cocaine for the wedding at a flat rate of $220,000 Cdn per shipment, court documents show.
Ratte is the first co-defendant to appear in court in the case. Three other co-accused, including his nephew Gurpreet Singh, are also in custody awaiting their respective bail hearings.
The FBI claims that Ratte, along with Singh, is the leader of a drug trafficking network in Canada. He is accused of drug trafficking in the US, where authorities are seeking his extradition.
U.S. authorities estimate the street value of the total amount of cocaine transported by Ratte and his couriers to be approximately $8.45 million to $9.1 million, according to an agreed statement of facts. Based on that, Ratte faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison in the U.S., according to court documents.
The court hears from Ratte's wife, relatives
On Thursday, Ratte's wife, brother-in-law and sister were examined by the court at Ratte's bail hearing in Toronto, all offering to pledge $200,000 as surety for his release.
Ratte's wife told the court she plans to monitor him at his Brampton home at all times, and would be happy if the court could put an ankle bracelet on her husband and take his passport. She told the court this week that she owns five properties and is willing to mortgage their value if the court requires more money for bail.
“I promise whatever I can, risking losing everything we've built in our lives together,” she said. “I want to show that I'm serious about this (release) plan.”
Ratte's wife said that she was shocked after her husband, who has two children, was arrested.
His bail hearing continues on Friday.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is wanted in the U.S. in connection with an alleged drug-trafficking operation that involved shipping large amounts of cocaine, authorities said. Ryan James Wedding, accused of leading the operation, is still at large. Authorities have accused him of being involved in the murder. CBC's Dale Manucdoc has the details.
