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Ryan James Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, has been named one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. He is accused of leading a violent international drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing vast quantities of illicit substances, including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, across the United States and Canada.
Federal prosecutors allege that Wedding, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, transitioned from athlete to the head of a sophisticated criminal enterprise. A 2024 indictment from a federal grand jury in Los Angeles charges him with numerous crimes, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering, and orchestrating multiple murders-for-hire. The U.S. Department of Justice detailed the extensive charges against him, which accuse Wedding of importing cocaine from Mexico and directing a network that sold hundreds of kilograms of drugs.
One of the most serious allegations against Wedding is his involvement in the contract killing of a witness. Authorities claim he ordered the murder of a man in Los Angeles to prevent him from testifying in a separate drug trafficking case. This act, authorities say, highlights the extreme violence associated with his alleged criminal activities. Wedding's operations were reportedly based in Los Angeles but had a global reach, requiring a coordinated response from multiple law enforcement agencies.
The manhunt for Wedding is now an international priority. The FBI has offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to his arrest. In addition, the U.S. Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that results in his arrest and/or conviction. Wedding is believed to be residing in Mexico, with potential locations including Mexico City, Cancun, and Tulum. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous. His dramatic fall from Olympic athlete to alleged kingpin has underscored the complex nature of transnational organized crime, prompting close collaboration between the FBI, the DEA, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
