Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin in custody | Canada

U.S. law enforcement announced Friday the arrest of Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, an alleged drug lord.

Wedding, 44, was wanted by the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for his role in overseeing what U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi called “one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

Authorities in the US allege that the Wedding organization transported approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine a year from Mexico to Los Angeles using a network of semi-trucks. Wedding is also accused of ordering the killing of a key FBI witness and several other murders, including a couple killed in a case of confusion.

NBC News first reported the arrest, and US law enforcement officials familiar with the operation confirmed it to the Guardian.

In March, Wedding, known by the nicknames “Public Enemy”, “El Jefe” and “The Giant”, was added to the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives list and a $15 million reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

FBI director Kash Patel, who will speak to the media from California later in the day, compared Wedding to Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

RCMP chief Michael Duheme will also be there.

Wedding was allegedly protected by the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico while he was on the run.

More details coming soon…