FBI puts former Canadian Olympic snowboarder on most wanted list with a $10,000,000 reward for his arrest
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada, has been added to the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives for allegedly running a 'transnational drug enterprise and ordering several murders'.
Wedding became an Olympian when he competed in the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he took part in the parallel giant slalom and finished in 24th place.
In the years since, it looks like things have gone downhill for the snowboarder as he's now been accused of running a drug trafficking network that 'routinely' shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States.
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On top of that, Wedding allegedly orchestrated multiple murders, including the murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, as well as one attempted murder in a bid to further the drug crimes.
The allegations against Wedding were detailed in a press conference on March 6, when Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, announced Wedding's addition to the FBI's most wanted list.
Davis was joined at the conference by law enforcement partners with the US Department of State, Royal Canadian Mounted Police–Federal Policing, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration–Los Angeles, and the US Attorney’s Office–Central District of California.
According to the authorities, Wedding, who was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, has been known to use aliases including 'El Jefe', 'Giant', 'Public Enemy', 'James Conrad King', and 'Jesse King'.
Commenting on the new addition to the most wanted list, Davis said: "Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada.
"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.”
Wedding's introduction to the most wanted list comes after he and his second-in-command, Andrew Clark, were charged in June 2024 with running a continuing criminal enterprise; committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and assorted drug crimes; and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine.
The following September, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a superseding indictment which included an attempted murder charge against Wedding and Clark.
Clark was arrested last October by Mexican authorities, and the FBI is now offering a reward of $10 million for anyone who can provide information leading to Wedding’s arrest and/or conviction. The agency currently believes Wedding, who is described as having brown hair, blue eyes and standing at 6'3", is residing in Mexico.
If convicted, Wedding would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on the continuing criminal enterprise charge. The murder and attempted murder charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, while drug trafficking charges carry mandatory minimum penalties of 10 to 15 years in prison.
The FBI urges anyone with information as to Wedding’s whereabouts to contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram at +1-424 495-0614. Callers may also contact their local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Confidentiality will be granted to anyone who calls with information.
Emily Brown