Ryan Wedding Arrested - From Olympic Snowboarder to Drug Lord

Ryan Wedding Arrested - From Olympic Snowboarder to Drug Lord

Search Volume Information

  • 🇺🇸 United States: 200,000+ searches
  • 🇨🇦 Canada: 50,000+ searches
  • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 5,000+ searches
  • 🇲🇽 Mexico: 5,000+ searches
  • 🇩🇪 Germany: 2,000+ searches
  • 🇮🇹 Italy: 2,000+ searches
  • 🇫🇷 France: 500+ searches
  • 🇦🇺 Australia: 500+ searches
  • 🇪🇸 Spain: 500+ searches

FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan Wedding Captured in Mexico

On Thursday night, January 23, 2026, Ryan James Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada and alleged leader of a violent drug trafficking organization, was arrested in Mexico, announced FBI Director Kash Patel.

From Olympic Athlete to Drug Kingpin

Wedding is a former professional snowboarder who competed for Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, finishing 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom snowboarding event.

Authorities believe the 44-year-old Wedding was a member of the Sinaloa Cartel and had been operating a transnational drug trafficking organization while hiding in Mexico for over a decade. FBI Director Patel described Wedding as "a modern-day El Chapo" and "a modern-day Pablo Escobar," stating that he thought he could evade justice.

Operating a Massive Drug Trafficking Network

Wedding is accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking organization that smuggled approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually through Southern California to Canada.

According to law enforcement, Wedding's organization transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to the United States and Canada. He was known by several aliases including "El Jefe," "Giant," and "Public Enemy."

Murder-for-Hire Charges

Wedding allegedly supervised the criminal organization, enriched himself with laundered drug proceeds, and ordered multiple murders.

The murder charges include ordering the killing of two members of a Canadian family in 2023 as retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, and ordering a murder in 2024 over a drug debt.

Prior Criminal Record and FBI Most Wanted Status

In 2008, Wedding was arrested in San Diego while attempting to purchase cocaine with two other men during a transaction with an undercover FBI agent. In November 2009, he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine at trial and sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, being released in December 2011.

On March 6, 2025, he was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, with the U.S. State Department offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Large-Scale Arrest Operation

To date, authorities have arrested 36 individuals connected to this criminal organization. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell stated that during the investigation, they seized over 2,300 kilograms of cocaine, 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, 44 kilograms of fentanyl, 8 firearms, and more than $55 million in illicit assets.

Extradition to the United States

Wedding surrendered himself at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Thursday and was extradited to the United States, arriving in California. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Wedding would be brought to the United States to face justice.

Wedding is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court on Monday.

Why Are So Many People Searching for This?

Ryan Wedding's arrest has captured worldwide attention as a dramatic case of an Olympic athlete's fall from grace to becoming one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. The shocking revelation that an athlete who competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics became the leader of a massive drug trafficking organization linked to the Sinaloa Cartel has stunned the public. The scale of his criminal enterprise was so significant that the FBI Director described him as "a modern-day El Chapo," and his capture after more than a decade on the run has generated enormous public interest.

Sources:

  • NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ryan-wedding-former-olympic-snowboarder-alleged-drug-kingpin-arrested-rcna255579
  • ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/US/ryan-wedding-former-olympian-turned-fbi-wanted-fugitive/story?id=129488890
  • ESPN: https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/47704928/ex-olympic-snowboarder-fbi-fugitive-ryan-wedding-arrested
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Wedding

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