Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Joins FBI’s Most Wanted List | World News
A former Olympic snowboarder has been implicated in running an international drug smuggling ring linked to four murders and is now featured on the FBI’s list of the 10 most wanted fugitives.
The FBI has announced a reward of $10 million (£7.7 million) for information that leads to the capture of Ryan Wedding, 43, who represented Canada in the giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Wedding, who goes by several aliases including “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” is accused of overseeing a syndicate that routinely transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and various locations in the US.
He is also believed to have orchestrated four murders and one attempted murder.
Wedding is believed to be in Mexico. Pic: FBI
“Wedding transitioned from competing on Olympic slopes to distributing cocaine in US cities and his home country of Canada,” stated Akil Davis, the assistant director at the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.
“The suspected murders involving his rivals highlight how dangerous Wedding truly is.”
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Wedding was charged last year, and a September indictment claimed he and his associates coordinated the shipment of approximately 60 tonnes of cocaine annually using long-haul trucks.
Wedding in 2024. Pic: FBI
The FBI has reported that about a dozen individuals have been apprehended in connection with this case.
US officials assert that the group murdered two family members in Canada as revenge for a stolen drug shipment in a case of mistaken identity, along with two other individuals.
“The ex-Canadian snowboarder has unleashed a wave of death and chaos, both domestically and internationally,” remarked special agent Matthew Allen.
“He earned the title ‘El Jefe’, becoming the leader of a violent transnational drug trafficking operation.
“Now, his image will appear on ‘The Top 10 Most Wanted’ lists. He is relentless, heartless, and driven by greed.
“This announcement sheds an even brighter light on his pursuit. We urge you to assist us in locating him.”
Authorities believe Wedding may be residing in Mexico, but he could also be in the US, Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or other locations.
