U.S. officials allege former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding headed up a widespread drug trafficking ring responsible for "brutal" murders
A former Olympic snowboarder has been charged with allegedly running a murderous, multi-million dollar drug trafficking organization that smuggled cocaine throughout several North American countries over the past year.
The FBI says it's searching for Ryan James Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder-turned-drug lord, who is under investigation for eight felonies - including conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, conspiracy to export cocaine, murder in connection with a criminal enterprise and drug crime, and attempted murder in connection with his drug enterprise.
The 43-year-old former Olympic athlete is currently on the run, according to the FBI, which is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and extradition to the United States.
"Wedding is a Canadian citizen, who may be residing in Mexico," the FBI says.
The Department of Justice announced the charges against Wedding and 15 others in an indictment Thursday afternoon (Oct. 17), noting that Wedding has become known by some in the drug trafficking world as "El Jefe," "Giant," and "Public Enemy."
"Ryan James Wedding is wanted for allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States," according to the FBI. "Additionally, it is alleged that Wedding was involved in orchestrating multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes."
A federal arrest warrant was issued against Wedding in California last month, federal investigators say, adding that the former athlete has also gone by other aliases in the past, including "James Conrad King" and "Jesse King."
Wedding competed for Team Canada in the men's parallel giant slalom snowboarding event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games. He finished 24th in the competition - his only Olympic appearance for Team Canada.
The former Olympian is among 16 total fugitives the FBI has charged in relation to the North American cocaine operation.
Wedding and 15 other co-defendants allegedly ran the drug operation between January and August of this year, smudging "hundreds of kilograms" of cocaine from Mexico, to Southern California, and into Canada - first storing them in stash houses along the West Coast before moving them north using long-haul semi-trucks, according to the Justice Department.
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The DOJ says it's seized "more than one ton of cocaine" during its investigation into the drug operation, as well as several weapons, more than $255,000 in cash and $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.
The DOJ alleges that Wedding and his group "resorted to violence" at points during those months, including multiple "brutal" murders.
"The Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization and its unremitting, callous and greed-driven crimes has been operating for far too long, spanning several countries, from Colombia through Mexico, the U.S. and to Canada," Matthew Allen, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency, said in a statement. "They have triggered an avalanche of violent crimes, including brutal murders. Wedding, the Olympian snowboarder, went from navigating slopes to contouring a life of incessant crimes. DEA and our partners stand firmly in our resolve to dismantle his operation."
Federal officials say Wedding and another man, Andrew Clark, are directly tied to the murder of an Ontario family in November 2023, while they allegedly ordered the murder of another victim who owed them money in May 2024.
Clark was arrested earlier this month in Mexico. "Several" other defendants were also arrested in recent weeks and are expected to appear in court "within the coming week" in Los Angeles, Michigan, and Miami, according to the DOJ.
"As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "My office's mandate is to protect the public and stopping sophisticated and violent organized crime groups goes to the heart of that mission. We will continue to collaborate with our federal, local, and international law enforcement partners to bring these groups to justice."