Ten Individuals Arrested in International Conspiracy to Murder Victim and Facilitate Criminal Enterprise
LOS ANGELES, CA – Ten individuals have been arrested in connection with a complex international conspiracy involving a plot to murder a victim, obstruct justice, and support a criminal enterprise lead by fugitive Troy Anthony Wedding, 39. The arrests, announced today, are the result of a multi-agency inquiry spanning the United States, Canada, Colombia, and the Dominican republic.
According to court documents, Wedding directed a criminal enterprise involved in drug trafficking and other illicit activities. The investigation revealed a disturbing instance of obstruction of justice where wedding allegedly paid an individual, identified as Bal, to suppress information about the victim’s whereabouts. Bal, in exchange for payment, removed a post containing the victim’s location and instead published a photograph of the victim, effectively facilitating a targeted attack.
Several individuals are accused of aiding wedding in locating and targeting the victim. Jhonny Basora-hernandez, a reggaeton musician and Dominican Republic citizen, allegedly provided co-conspirators with the victim’s contact information to assist in the murder plot.
Concurrent with the arrests, immigration actions have been initiated against associates of Wedding’s enterprise. These include Canadian national Samantha Melissa Granda-Gastelu, 38, of Aventura, Florida, whose husband, Nahim Jorge Bonilla, 37, is already in federal custody facing separate murder conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.Additionally, immigration action is being taken against Madeline Paradkar, 27, a Canadian national residing in Chicago and practicing as an attorney, and her daughter.
Law enforcement continues to actively search for Troy Anthony Wedding, along with three additional defendants:
* Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, of Vancouver, British Columbia, canada
* Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, of mexico City
* Tommy Demorizi, 35, of Montréal, believed to be a fugitive in the dominican Republic.
If convicted, Wedding and those charged in connection with the murder plot face a potential life sentence in federal prison.
The investigation is being led by the FBI, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department, the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury – Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Federal policing. Important support has also been provided by Homeland Security Investigation Miami and Chicago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Buffalo, Ontario Provincial Police, and Colombian National Police – Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá, Colombia, also played a crucial role in the investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States attorneys Lyndsi Allsop and Kenneth R. Carbajal of the Major Crimes Section, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Galatzan, Tara Vavere, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section.
This case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide initiative focused on combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime. It also falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established by executive Order 14159, aimed at eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and human smuggling/trafficking rings.
It is crucial to note that an indictment contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
