Who is Ryan Wedding and what are the charges against him? Ex-Olympic Snowboarder now on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List

Justice Department Announces Federal Enforcement Action Against International Criminal Organization - Source: Getty
Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche, and Kash Patel address the indictment of Ryan James Wedding at a Justice Department press briefing. (Image via Getty/Andrew Harnik)

Ryan Wedding has reportedly made it to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

The Canadian former Olympic snowboarder, 44, was reportedly charged with murder, money laundering, drug trafficking, and being involved in a transnational criminal enterprise. Law enforcement officials unveiled the indictment against him just this week.

"Ryan James Wedding is one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizers in the world," Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a joint announcement in Washington, D.C., alongside FBI Director Kash Patel.

Here's everything we know about Ryan Wedding's alleged role as a drug mule:

Live Mint has reported that in her statement, Bondi referred to Ryan Wedding as a "top threat to the United States," claiming that he helmed a lethal global operation linked to the distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, and other illicit substances.

For The Win has reported that authorities are accusing him of running the operation while hiding out in Mexico. He reportedly gunned down a U.S. federal witness in Medellin, Colombia, before they could testify against him.

"He's responsible for a narco-terrorism program we have not seen in a long time," Patel added. "You do not get to be a drug dealer and evade the law."

Ryan Wedding is most known for having represented Canada in the Salt Lake Winter Olympics in 2002. That was the last time he endeavoured to play, and he finished 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom. He made the Canadian National Ski Team at the age of 15 and went on to play in the 1999 and 2001 world championships.

His name reportedly caught the attention of law enforcement officials in 2006, when he was named in a search warrant for an operation that involved growing marijuana in British Columbia. However, he wasn't charged at the time. By 2008, he was cuffed in a U.S. sting operation for allegedly attempting to buy 24 kilograms of cocaine.

By 2010, Ryan Wedding was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He spent more than a year behind bars, though he reportedly emerged as one of the high-ranking members of the Sinaloa drug cartel after his release.

In her statement, Bondi said that Wedding's organization works closely with this cartel, and they are responsible for importing a staggering 60 metric tons of cocaine to the U.S. from Mexico annually. They reportedly make about a billion dollars in profit every year.

The FBI is offering $15 million for Ryan Wedding's capture, and an additional $2 million for any and all information related to the murder of the witness. As of this writing, over 35 people have been indicted in connection with the case.

The Assistant Director of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, Akil 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."

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley also chimed in:

"[Thel Treasury is joining with the FBI and Department of Justice to cut Wedding and his criminal partners off from the U.S. financial system and help dismantle the network they rely on. Our goal is simple: make it difficult for criminals like this to profit from poisoning our communities."

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Edited by Jenel Treza Albuquerque