Latest news with #Toronto-area
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Driver stopped going 186 km/h while racing another vehicle on Hwy. 401 in eastern Ontario: OPP
Ontario Provincial Police say the driver of this vehicle was observed going 186 km/h on Highway 401 near Lansdowne on Tuesday. (OPP/X) A Toronto-area driver is facing a stunt driving charge and four people in the vehicle had to call a taxi for the rest of their trip, after being stopped speeding on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police say officers responded to reports of two vehicles racing in the eastbound lanes of Highway 401 Tuesday morning. 'An officer with the Leeds OPP spotted the cars in the Lansdowne area just before 9 a.m. today and stopped one,' the OPP said on X. 'The other refused to stop and officers continued to look for it.' Police say the driver stopped was clocked going 186 km/h by an officer. The driver is facing a charge of stunt driving, which includes a 30-day licence suspension and the vehicle impounded for 14 days. 'The four occupants were placed in a taxi and sent on their way,' police said.
4 hours ago
Fugitive ex-Olympian's alleged cocaine courier agrees to U.S. extradition
A Toronto-area man known to associates as the Russian — accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine on behalf of a former Olympic snowboarder — has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. Rakhim Ibragimov appeared in a downtown Toronto court Tuesday morning, for what was scheduled to be an hours-long extradition hearing. Instead, Ibragimov's lawyer Harval Bassi told the judge his client was consenting to his surrender to the U.S. That is correct, Ibragimov told Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden. Enlarge image (new window) An estimated 201 kilograms of suspected cocaine, seized as part of the U.S. federal law enforcement operation targeting Ryan Wedding's alleged transnational criminal enterprise. Photo: U.S. District Court, Central District of California The Uzbekistan-born Ibragimov, 48, faces conspiracy charges in Los Angeles, where he's expected to stand trial early next year alongside several other associates of Ryan Wedding. Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is listed as one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives. Born in Thunder Bay, Ont., he's suspected of living in Mexico, while leading a cartel-linked drug-trafficking organization tied to multiple murders. Kiran Gill, a lawyer representing the Attorney General of Canada told court Ibragimov had been identified as a courier for Wedding's network. According to U.S. investigators, Ibragimov was caught near L.A. in April 2024 as he loaded boxes filled with 375 kilograms of cocaine – apparently destined for Canada – into his rental car. Wedding's network is accused of using the area as a logistics hub for its $1-billion US cocaine and fentanyl smuggling operation. At the time, Ibragimov was detained and then allowed to return to Ontario. He was again arrested last fall, this time by Toronto police, as U.S. authorities moved in on more than a dozen of Wedding's alleged co-conspirators in Canada, the U.S, Mexico and Colombia. WATCH | From Olympian to fugitive: Sporting a hoodie and a grey goatee in the prisoner's box on Tuesday, Ibragimov smiled and waved at a woman in the public gallery. According to the U.S. indictment, his co-defendants referred to Ibragimov as the Russian in encrypted messages later intercepted by investigators. He acknowledged to the judge that by consenting to his surrender, he's waiving his right to a 30-day delay before extradition. You're ready to go any time, correct, sir? Bawden asked. Yes, Ibragimov said. Enlarge image (new window) Four of the 9 Canadian men charged alongside Ryan Wedding appeared by video link in Superior Court in Toronto on Oct. 23, 2024. The U.S. is seeking their extradition. Photo: Radio-Canada / Alexandra Newbould/CBC Ibragimov and several co-defendants are scheduled to stand trial next February in federal court in L.A. Ten Canadians are among those indicted, including an uncle and his nephew accused of co-ordinating drug shipments, a Toronto-based alleged hitman known as Mr. Perfect, and Wedding's top lieutenant, Andrew Clark (new window) . Between them, Wedding and Clark are charged with orchestrating four murders in Ontario. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office told CBC News next year's trial is set to proceed even if Wedding — the lead defendant — is not captured by then. The RCMP has said the 43-year-old poses one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive. The U.S. State Dept. is offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fugitive ex-Olympian's alleged cocaine courier agrees to U.S. extradition
A Toronto-area man known to associates as the "Russian" – accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine on behalf of a former Olympic snowboarder – has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. Rakhim Ibragimov appeared in a downtown Toronto court Tuesday morning, for what was scheduled to be an hours-long extradition hearing. Instead, Ibragimov's lawyer Harval Bassi told the judge his client was consenting to his surrender to the U.S. "That is correct," Ibragimov told Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden. The Uzbekistan-born Ibragimov, 48, faces conspiracy charges in Los Angeles, where he's expected to stand trial early next year alongside several other associates of Ryan Wedding. Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is listed as one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives. Born in Thunder Bay, Ont., he's suspected of living in Mexico, while leading a cartel-linked drug-trafficking organization tied to multiple murders. Kiran Gill, a lawyer representing the Attorney General of Canada told court Ibragimov had been identified as a "courier" for Wedding's network. According to U.S. investigators, Ibragimov was caught near L.A. in April 2024 as he loaded boxes filled with 375 kilograms of cocaine – apparently destined for Canada – into his rental car. Wedding's network is accused of using the area as a logistics hub for its $1-billion US cocaine and fentanyl smuggling operation. At the time, Ibragimov was detained and then allowed to return to Ontario. He was again arrested last fall, this time by Toronto police, as U.S. authorities moved in on more than a dozen of Wedding's alleged co-conspirators in Canada, the U.S, Mexico and a hoodie and a grey goatee in the prisoner box on Tuesday, Ibragimov smiled and waved at a woman in the public gallery. According to the U.S. indictment, his co-defendants referred to Ibragimov as the "Russian" in encrypted messages later intercepted by investigators. He acknowledged to the judge that by consenting to his surrender, he's waiving his right to a 30-day delay before extradition. "You're ready to go any time, correct, sir?" Bawden asked. "Yes," Ibragimov said. Ibragimov and several co-defendants are scheduled to stand trial next February in federal court in L.A. Ten Canadians are among those indicted, including an uncle and his nephew accused of co-ordinating drug shipments, a Toronto-based alleged hitman known as "Mr. Perfect," and Wedding's top lieutenant, Andrew Clark. Between them, Wedding and Clark are charged with orchestrating four murders in Ontario. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office told CBC News next year's trial is set to proceed even if Wedding – the lead defendant – is not captured by then. The RCMP has said the 43-year-old poses "one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive." The U.S. State Dept. is offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Fugitive ex-Olympian's alleged cocaine courier agrees to U.S. extradition
Social Sharing A Toronto-area man known to associates as the "Russian" – accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine on behalf of a former Olympic snowboarder – has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. Rakhim Ibragimov appeared in a downtown Toronto court Tuesday morning, for what was scheduled to be an hours-long extradition hearing. Instead, Ibragimov's lawyer Harval Bassi told the judge his client was consenting to his surrender to the U.S. "That is correct," Ibragimov told Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden. The Uzbekistan-born Ibragimov, 48, faces conspiracy charges in Los Angeles, where he's expected to stand trial early next year alongside several other associates of Ryan Wedding. Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is listed as one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives. Born in Thunder Bay, Ont., he's suspected of living in Mexico, while leading a cartel-linked drug-trafficking organization tied to multiple murders. Kiran Gill, a lawyer representing the Attorney General of Canada told court Ibragimov had been identified as a "courier" for Wedding's network. According to U.S. investigators, Ibragimov was caught near L.A. in April 2024 as he loaded boxes filled with 375 kilograms of cocaine – apparently destined for Canada – into his rental car. Wedding's network is accused of using the area as a logistics hub for its $1-billion US cocaine and fentanyl smuggling operation. At the time, Ibragimov was detained and then allowed to return to Ontario. He was again arrested last fall, this time by Toronto police, as U.S. authorities moved in on more than a dozen of Wedding's alleged co-conspirators in Canada, the U.S, Mexico and Colombia. WATCH | From Olympian to fugitive: Ryan Wedding's path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive 5 months ago 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. Sporting a hoodie and a grey goatee in the prisoner box on Tuesday, Ibragimov smiled and waved at a woman in the public gallery. According to the U.S. indictment, his co-defendants referred to Ibragimov as the "Russian" in encrypted messages later intercepted by investigators. He acknowledged to the judge that by consenting to his surrender, he's waiving his right to a 30-day delay before extradition. "You're ready to go any time, correct, sir?" Bawden asked. "Yes," Ibragimov said. Ibragimov and several co-defendants are scheduled to stand trial next February in federal court in L.A. Ten Canadians are among those indicted, including an uncle and his nephew accused of co-ordinating drug shipments, a Toronto-based alleged hitman known as "Mr. Perfect," and Wedding's top lieutenant, Andrew Clark. Between them, Wedding and Clark are charged with orchestrating four murders in Ontario. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office told CBC News next year's trial is set to proceed even if Wedding – the lead defendant – is not captured by then. The RCMP has said the 43-year-old poses "one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive."
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Liberal MPs call for Canada to join France in recognizing Palestinian state
OTTAWA – Liberal members of Parliament are publicly calling on the Canadian government to follow France's lead in recognizing Palestine as a state. Toronto-area MP Salma Zahid said on a social media post that Canada must join France in announcing its recognition of a state for the Palestinian people MP Fares Al Soud, who also represents the Toronto area, posted a message on social media saying that justice for the Palestinian people 'demands recognition.' French President Emmanuel Macron says he intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state in September during the United Nations General Assembly. When asked whether Prime Minister Mark Carney would do the same, his team did not respond to the question. Carney's office instead referred The Canadian Press to a social media post by the prime minister on Thursday in which he said Canada supports a two-state solution that 'guarantees peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
