A $10 million reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, who is now a fugitive allegedly connected to a vast international drug trafficking operation and multiple murders associated with the trade. The FBI has placed the 43-year-old on its Ten Most Wanted list as of Thursday, alongside the announcement of the reward by the U.S. State Department.
Akil Davis, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, highlighted the stark contrast in Wedding’s life, stating, “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.” Davis described Wedding as a “very dangerous man,” particularly due to the alleged murders of his rivals.
According to FBI reports, Wedding has used various aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “James Conrad King.” He faces charges of murder and drug-related offenses dating back to last June, and these were intensified by a September indictment that described how Wedding and his associates purportedly orchestrated the distribution of approximately 60 tonnes of cocaine annually. The drugs were allegedly transported from Colombia and Mexico to Southern California and Canada using long-haul trucks.
The FBI’s October announcement regarding the indictment included the arrest of a dozen individuals tied to the case. U.S. authorities claim that Wedding and his associates killed two members of a Canadian family in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, a tragic incident reportedly arising from a case of mistaken identity. Two additional murders are also linked to the allegations.
Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom event. His transition from Olympic athlete to a key figure in a dangerous drug network underscores the dramatic turn his life has taken.
As the search for Wedding intensifies, law enforcement is urging anyone with information regarding his whereabouts to come forward.