Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, is now at the center of a major FBI investigation, accused of orchestrating a violent international drug trafficking network.
According to U.S. officials, Wedding’s criminal enterprise involved shipping massive amounts of cocaine and ordering multiple murders to protect his operation.
The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Martin Estrada, announced that Wedding, along with 15 others, has been indicted on 16 felony charges. The 43-year-old athlete, who once competed on the global stage, is now being hunted by the FBI under the aliases “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.”
His organization allegedly funneled cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and then into stash houses in Los Angeles, ultimately smuggling the drugs into Canada using semi-trucks.
The operation took a violent turn when Wedding and an associate allegedly ordered the killings of family members in Ontario, Canada. These murders were said to be in retaliation for a drug shipment intercepted in Southern California. Another murder was reportedly ordered to settle a drug debt.
Authorities seized over a ton of cocaine, $255,000 in cash, $3.2 million in cryptocurrency, firearms, and ammunition during their investigation. In March 2024 alone, the organization is accused of trafficking 646 pounds of cocaine.
A shipment of 827 pounds was intercepted by law enforcement the following month. Officials estimate the total street value of the seized cocaine to be between $23.4 and $25.2 million.
Wedding faces eight felony charges, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export cocaine, leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and multiple counts of murder connected to his drug empire.
Each murder charge alone carries a life sentence if convicted, while the drug charges carry a minimum 10-year sentence.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Matthew Allen described Wedding’s organization as “callous and greed-driven,” operating across several countries, from Colombia to Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. The network allegedly triggered waves of violent crime, including brutal killings ordered by Wedding himself.
This isn’t the first time Wedding has been in legal trouble. He was previously convicted in 2010 for attempting to purchase cocaine from an undercover agent and was sentenced to four years in prison. He also faces separate drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015.
Currently, Wedding is believed to be hiding in Mexico and is considered a fugitive. If apprehended, the former athlete could spend the rest of his life behind bars, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the ex-Olympian turned drug lord.
