Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding faces serious allegations of overseeing a large-scale and brutal drug trafficking operation — consistently distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine while allegedly masterminding assassinations along the way … and now he finds himself on the FBI’s wanted list.
Martin Estrada, the attorney for the U.S. Central District of California, announced on Thursday that Wedding and 15 accomplices have been indicted on a total of 16 counts.
Wedding, aged 43, reportedly used monikers such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.” He, along with his co-conspirators, is accused of plotting to transport vast amounts of cocaine from Colombia, passing through Mexico, and utilizing stash houses in the Los Angeles vicinity … subsequently handing it over to couriers for transport to Canada via semi-trucks.
To maintain their illicit activities, Wedding and a collaborator are alleged to have orchestrated violent offenses … which included two murders of family members in Ontario, Canada, as retaliation for a drug shipment intercepted in Southern California. Additionally, they purportedly ordered another homicide linked to a drug-related debt.
In the course of the investigation, authorities confiscated over a ton of cocaine, along with $255K in cash, $3.2 million worth of cryptocurrency, firearms, and ammunition. The organization is accused of delivering 646 pounds of cocaine in March 2024 alone … and attempting to push 827 pounds in April, which was thwarted by law enforcement.
Officials assert that the defendants held cocaine valued between $23.4 and $25.2 million at various points.
Wedding faces eight felony charges — specifically, two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, a single count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder tied to a continuing criminal enterprise, and one count of attempted murder also connected to a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.
“According to the charges laid out in the indictment, a former Olympic athlete turned drug kingpin is now accused of orchestrating a cross-border criminal syndicate involved in cocaine trafficking and murder, including the slaying of innocent bystanders,” Estrada stated.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Matthew Allen commented on the purported narcotics ring … asserting, “The Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization and its relentless, ruthless, and avarice-fueled offenses have been functioning for an excessively prolonged period, stretching across multiple nations, from Colombia through Mexico, the United States, and into Canada.”
“Their actions have resulted in a surge of violent offenses, including savage killings. Wedding, the Olympic snowboarder, transitioned from maneuvering slopes to engaging in a lifestyle characterized by ceaseless criminal activities.”
Wedding had previous encounters with law enforcement. Back in 2010, he was found guilty of purchasing cocaine from an undercover agent. Subsequently, he received a four-year prison sentence.
Presently, Wedding has been residing in Mexico and is now regarded as a fugitive. Additionally, he is confronted with distinct drug trafficking ailments in Canada dating back to 2015.
In regards to the drug allegations alone, if convicted, Wedding faces a minimum sentence of ten years incarceration.
Regarding the charges of murder and participation in a criminal organization, each count carries the possibility of a life sentence in a federal facility.