Alleged drug kingpin and ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding arrested
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding was arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the United States after years on the run, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Wedding, who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking operation that moved tons of cocaine across international borders.
Wedding, 44, was also wanted on murder charges. US officials had stated that they believed Wedding was living under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.
The head of Canada’s federal police agency, which is assisting with the investigation, spoke alongside Patel on Friday, praising law enforcement’s operation.
“No single agency or country can fight transnational organized crime alone,” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme.
“We can finally say that our communities, our countries, are much safer with the arrest of Ryan Wedding,” he added.
Wedding is expected to appear at his first hearing on Monday.
Wedding is accused of running a major drug trafficking operation responsible for importing approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually.
The organization operated in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in North America, and was also Canada’s largest supplier of cocaine, generating approximately $1 billion in annual revenue.
Before his arrest, Wedding was accused of murdering a federal witness in a case against him. Authorities say he also ordered the killings of many other people.
Wedding currently faces a number of felony charges, including witness tampering and intimidation, murder, money laundering and drug trafficking.
The FBI had previously put up a $15 million (£11 million) reward for information leading to his arrest. Patel declined to comment on whether anyone would claim the prize money.
U.S. officials have not released any information about how Wedding was captured, but they said his arrest occurred Thursday night in Mexico City.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, said in a post on X that Patel visited Mexico City on Thursday and left with two fugitives who were on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
He did not disclose the names of those arrested but said one of them was “a Canadian citizen who voluntarily surrendered” at the U.S. embassy in Mexico.
The Associated Press, citing an unnamed member of Mexico’s Security Cabinet, reported that Wedding was a Canadian who surrendered to the U.S. embassy.
In his speech at the press conference, Patel described Wedding as “modern-day Pablo Escobar”, referring to the Colombian cartel leader. U.S. officials also compared him to Mexico’s Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Patel thanked Canadian and Mexican authorities for their assistance in the investigation and said, “When you go after a guy like Ryan Wedding, it takes a united front.”
The FBI said Wedding’s aliases included “El Jefe,” “The Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King” and “Jesse King.” It was reported that she underwent plastic surgery to change her appearance while on the run.
Authorities allege he launched his criminal enterprise in 2011 after his release from a U.S. federal prison where he was serving a sentence for cocaine distribution.
Authorities allege he ordered dozens of murders around the world, including the United States, Canada and Latin America.
Authorities say he was living luxuriously in Mexico. In December, Mexican authorities announced that $40 million worth of racing motorcycles owned by Wedding were seized. Other valuables were also seized, including luxury paintings, works of art, drugs and two Olympic gold medals.
It is not yet known who the medals belong to. Wedding competed for Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City but did not win any medals. He came 24th in the men’s giant parallel slalom skiing competition.
In November, the FBI seized a rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR valued at $13 million.
Patel also mentioned the recent arrest in Mexico of another man who is on the FBI’s most wanted list.
American man Alejandro Castillo was wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He has been hiding in Mexico for nearly 10 years and will now be extradited to North Carolina to face trial, according to the FBI.
