How FBI Arrested Ryan Wedding, Ex-Olympic Snowboarder Accused Of Being A Drug Kingpin

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was arrested in Mexico for his alleged role in a major drug trafficking network.

Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, said on X that Wedding surrendered voluntarily before being transferred to the FBI.

“The Director of the FBI left today for the United States, bringing with him two priority objectives: a non-American person who was arrested by Mexican authorities of the 10 most wanted by the FBI and a Canadian citizen who voluntarily surrendered yesterday at the United States Embassy,” García Harfuch said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Ryan Wedding, 44, is believed to be connected to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and had been living in Mexico for over ten years while helping run an international drug operation.

Patel said Wedding oversaw large-scale cocaine shipments moving from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, and into the United States and Canada.

“He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco-trafficker in modern times. He is a modern-day El Chapo, he is a modern-day Pablo Escobar, and he thought he could evade justice,” Patel said at a news conference.

Wedding was placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list in March, with a $15 million reward offered for information leading to his capture or prosecution.

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Wedding has been transported to the United States, “where he will face justice.”

“Director Patel has worked tirelessly to bring fugitives to justice. We are grateful to our incredible Ambassador Ron Johnson and the Mexican authorities for assisting us in this case,” Bondi said in a post on X.

Ryan Wedding is expected to appear in court for the first time on Monday, January 26.

According to Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, Wedding’s organization moved an estimated 60 metric tons of cocaine through Southern California.

Prosecutors also accuse him of arranging several murders, including the killing of a government witness.

Authorities say the witness, who was set to testify against Wedding, was shot and killed at a restaurant after Wedding allegedly placed a bounty on him.

Investigators claim Ryan Wedding used a Canadian website to locate both the witness and his wife.

A grand jury indictment related to that killing was made public in November.

Davis said law enforcement had promised to track Wedding down and said his arrest fulfilled that pledge.

“We told you in November we would find Mr. Wedding. And today that day has arrived,” Davis told reporters.

Wedding faces charges from a September 2024 indictment that includes attempted murder and other crimes tied to the drug operation.

Court records show Wedding’s criminal activity began in 2008, several years after he competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

In 2009, he was convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine after traveling to San Diego to purchase drugs from an undercover FBI agent.

He served a four-year federal prison sentence and was released in late 2011.

Prosecutors alleged that after his release, Ryan Wedding built the drug trafficking organization now under investigation.

So far, authorities have arrested 36 people connected to the network, and the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned 19 individuals, including Wedding.

Investigators have seized large quantities of drugs, weapons, and cash, including more than 2,300 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine, eight firearms, and over $55 million in illegal assets.

Mexican authorities also seized luxury motorcycles valued at about $40 million, as well as Olympic medals, vehicles, artwork, and drugs from properties in Mexico City believed to be linked to Ryan Wedding.