Ryan Wedding is accused of running a cocaine empire and ordering a witness’s murder.
Prosecutors link him to violent cartel-backed operations.
The FBI has issued a $15 million reward for his capture.
A former Olympic Snowboarder, Ryan James Wedding, who once represented Canada at the Winter Games of 2002 in Lake City has now turned into Canada’s largest drug dealer. He is now accused of ordering the murder of a witness of a federal narcotics case as per U.S. prosecutors. He is even targeting people who are cooperating with the authorities regarding the drug-trafficking case as per the Department of Justice. The reward for any information regarding the drug kinship has been declared to be $15 million by the FBI and the U.S. officials.
The snowboarder-turned-drug lord at the age of 44 is charged with overseeing an ongoing criminal enterprise that tracked large amounts of cocaine from Columbia to North America, transiting through Mexico. He is actively involved in drug laundering and is also said to have used violence to protect his operations. A cooperating witness was shot dead on 31st January 2025 in Medellin, Columbia following his direction which offered a bounty for the killing. Federal Prosecutors reportedly said that the murder was planned to prevent the witness from testifying on a federal narcotics case of 2024.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated the action to be a part of an international investigation under the name “Operation Giant Slalom”. Some of Wedding’s associates faced financial penalties and immigration actions following a recent enforcement sweep that led to detainment of ten individuals in relation to the unsealed indictment. The alleged co-conspirators ranging from criminal lawyer to other operatives were detained and charged for facilitating murders and aiding money-laundering networks and trafficking.
Wedding was added to the top ten most wanted list in early 2025, raising the prize money for any information leading to him. The former snowboarder, along with associated individuals and entities, has been sanctioned for their alleged roles in directing drug trafficking and violent acts by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). There is even speculation regarding him residing in Mexico and working with the cartel association to gain protection.
Wedding represented Canada in Snowboarding at the 2002 Salt City Winter Olympics, where he finished 24th at the men’s parallel giant slalom. He later joined the large-scale narcotics operations after leaving snowboarding as per the law-enforcement filings. He then continued and reportedly rose to become a leading figure in the transitional trafficking link, cooperating with the Mexican cartel networks who helped him move large shipments of cocaine into Canada and the United States.
He also has a history with investigations and convictions related to drugs as per recorded reports. Wedding was even involved with drug operations in the late 2000s as he was convicted in the early 2010s, serving a prison term following a 2008 sting. Then came the year 2024 when he was charged with multiple charges including running a criminal enterprise and several alleged murders. The case only expanded with time clubbed with additional counts and arrests as per prosecutors.
Wedding has been concluded to be a fugitive as per the latest filings and press release. The DOJ has confirmed the arrest of ten more defendants in the most recent enforcement action, giving credit to the Canadian and Colombian authorities for their critical investigative assistance. The cross-border cooperation will reportedly continue till the alleged network gets dismantled, bringing justice. [Rh]
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