Once celebrated as one of Canada’s top snowboarders, former Olympian Ryan Wedding is now the subject of an international manhunt. Wedding, who placed 24th in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games, has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is accused of leading a violent, multinational drug cartel.

FBI Director Kash Patel compared the 44-year-old to notorious traffickers, saying Wedding operated at a level reminiscent of Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Investigators believe he is hiding in Mexico with protection from the Sinaloa cartel. A reward for information leading to his arrest has climbed to $15 million.

From Olympic Competitor to Criminal Accusations

Wedding grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in a family deeply rooted in ski culture. He joined Canada’s national snowboarding program as a teenager and competed internationally for years before retiring from the sport shortly after the 2002 Olympics.

His life took a stark turn after he moved to Vancouver, where he worked security jobs and, according to investigators, became involved in drug trafficking. In 2008, he was arrested in a U.S. sting operation involving a planned cocaine purchase. Authorities reported finding $100,000 in cash, and Wedding was later convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

A New Indictment – and Much Darker Allegations

Prosecutors say Wedding resumed criminal activity almost immediately after his release in 2011. A sweeping indictment unsealed in October 2024 accuses him of running a sprawling criminal enterprise that trafficked large quantities of cocaine across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Colombia. Officials allege the organization used long-haul trucks to move shipments across borders and relied on violence to enforce debts and loyalty.

The charges include accusations that Wedding ordered multiple killings. Prosecutors say he directed the murders of two Ontario residents in 2023 after a drug shipment was stolen, and later authorized another killing in 2024 over unpaid debts. Fifteen co-defendants were charged alongside him. One alleged partner, Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico in 2024 and has pleaded not guilty.

Witness Killing and Escalating Manhunt

The search intensified in January 2025 after a federal witness connected to the case was assassinated in a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia. Authorities claim Wedding placed a bounty on the man, believing the witness’s death would collapse the government’s case and protect him from extradition.

In March 2025, the FBI added Wedding to its Ten Most Wanted list. Officials released updated photos and statistics — 6'3", 240 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes — and labeled him armed and dangerous. Months later, prosecutors announced new arrests tied to the witness killing, including one of Wedding’s attorneys.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding’s organization trafficked an estimated 60 metric tons of cocaine per year, calling him the largest cocaine supplier in Canada. The U.S. Treasury Department has since seized several assets connected to him, including an ultra-rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster valued at roughly $13 million.

Although the FBI reports receiving numerous leads since raising the reward, Wedding remains at large. Authorities believe he continues to operate from Mexico under cartel protection. If convicted of running a continuing criminal enterprise, he faces a mandatory life sentence.

SOURCE: CNN