Former Canadian Olympic Snowboarder Now on FBI's Most Wanted List for Drug Trafficking, Murders

Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, a Canadian national, has been placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly leading a violent transnational drug trafficking network.

U.S. authorities accuse Wedding of overseeing the distribution of large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada, as well as various U.S. locations. The U.S. is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Investigators believe Wedding is currently in Mexico but have not ruled out the possibility that he is in the U.S., Canada, or other countries in Latin America, as the BBC reports. Wedding competed in the men's parallel giant slalom event for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing in 24th place.

According to the FBI, Wedding is also known by several aliases, including "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King."

Wedding and an accomplice, Andrew Clark, were indicted in California in June 2024 on charges including running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder in connection with the enterprise, and conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine. Clark was arrested in October 2023 by Mexican authorities and was among 29 fugitives extradited to the U.S. last week.

According to the indictment, Wedding and Clark ordered the murders of two family members in Ontario, Canada, on November 20, 2023, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that had passed through Southern California. Another relative was critically injured but survived.

Additionally, the FBI alleges that Wedding and Clark arranged for the murder of another individual on May 18, 2024, over an unpaid drug debt.

"The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger," said FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis of the Los Angeles Field Office.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have been actively involved in the investigation and emphasized the importance of capturing Wedding through an official statement:

"Ryan Wedding continues to pose one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive. We will continue to work with our US and Mexico counterparts in the search for Wedding. Never has it been more important than now to ensure our continued collaboration with our international partners to tackle the threats we face and prevent transnational crime from hurting everyday Canadians and our allies"