By Crime Vault Magazine Staff
January 23, 2026
In a major victory for federal authorities, the FBI announced the arrest of Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who had topped the bureau’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Wedding, once a competitor for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in parallel giant slalom snowboarding, was taken into custody in Mexico City late Thursday night following a coordinated international operation.
Wedding faces serious federal charges in the United States, including leading a transnational drug trafficking organization, conspiracy to distribute massive quantities of cocaine, money laundering, and involvement in multiple murders. According to FBI officials, Wedding allegedly orchestrated a sophisticated criminal enterprise that smuggled hundreds of kilograms—and potentially up to 60 tons—of cocaine from Latin America into Canada and the United States. The operation is said to have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds, with ties to violent enforcement tactics, including ordered killings to protect the network.
Authorities have described Wedding’s alleged activities as rivaling those of notorious figures like Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, with the organization operating across borders and routinely moving enormous drug shipments. Wedding was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025, with a reward that eventually climbed to $15 million for information leading to his capture.
The breakthrough came after years on the run. Wedding had evaded authorities since his indictment in 2024, which stemmed in part from earlier brushes with the law—including a 2008 arrest in the U.S. for cocaine conspiracy charges. Mexican authorities, working with U.S. counterparts, located and apprehended him in the Mexican capital. Video footage released by the FBI shows Wedding being escorted in handcuffs off a plane upon arrival in California, flanked by agents.
“This arrest removes a significant threat from the streets and disrupts a violent drug trafficking network that has plagued communities on both sides of the border,” an FBI spokesperson stated in the announcement. Wedding is expected to face arraignment and trial in the Central District of California, where the charges originated.
Wedding’s journey from Olympic athlete—where he represented Canada on the world stage—to alleged drug kingpin highlights a stark cautionary tale of how paths can diverge dramatically. Once celebrated for his snowboarding prowess, he now stands accused of building one of the most expansive and ruthless narcotics empires investigated in recent years.
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