After more than a decade of being on the run, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned FBI most wanted fugitive, Ryan Wedding, has been arrested.
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According to ABC News, Wedding was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List after he was allegedly accused of being responsible for trafficking “multi-ton quantities of cocaine” from Colombia to Canada. He is also connected to several murders for hire in both Canada and Mexico.
In a statement on X, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the news about the former Olympic snowboarder’s arrest.
“At my direction, Department of Justice agents @FBI have apprehended yet another member of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List: Ryan Wedding, the onetime Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin,” Bondi stated. “Wedding was flown to the United States where he will face justice.”
FBI Director Kash Patel further shared that Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico on Thursday. He was believed to have been hiding in the country for more than a decade.
Sources close to the situation also revealed that Wedding had surrendered after weeks of “high-stakes negotiations.” He eventually turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico. The FBI/s Hostage Rescue Team was part of the operation to arrest Wedding.
Wedding is to remain in custody and will be expected to make his initial federal court appearance on Monday.
The Former Olympic Snowboarder Was Arreted For Allegedly Leading a Transnational Drug Trafficking Operation
Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, revealed that Wedding has been accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking operation that shipped “massive amounts of cocaine.”
The approximate amount of the drug being transported was 60 metric tons. The operation ran through Southern California and into Canada.
Davis further pointed out that Weddinghas been accused of “orchestrating multiple murders of victims and government witnesses.”
“Ryan Wedding tormented several people and several families that will never be the same,” Davis stated. “But today they get the justice that they sought.”
The former Olympian was previously indicted in Los Angeles federal court for various federal charges. The charges included running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise, and assorted drug crimes.
Patel revealed that Wedding was allegedly a member of the Sinaloa Cartel. He went by various aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.”
The U.S. Department of Justice had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding’s whereabouts. Along with the U.S., Wedding is facing separate drug charges in Canada.
Speaking about the arrest, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme shared in a statement, “This is a great day for public safety in Canada. The capture of Ryan Wedding after a years-long investigation, and this most recent achievement, demonstrates the importance of international collaboration and the success that can be achieved when law enforcement shares intelligence.”
Wedding was previously a professional snowboarder. He represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.