Who is Ryan Wedding? Olympic snowboarder accused of orchestrating killing of federal witness; FBI announces $15M bounty on Canadian drug lord

Canada’s former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has become the focus of a shocking criminal case after he was accused of plotting the murder of a federal witness in Colombia, U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said Wednesday. Once known for his athletic prowess on the ski slopes, Wedding is alleged to have turned to large-scale drug trafficking in Canada and the United States after retiring from the sport.

US authorities allege Wedding, 44, ordered the killing to silence a witness whose testimony could link him to a global narcotics operation. Wedding, who is currently on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list, was indicted on charges including murder and drug trafficking in late 2024, according to authorities. Prosecutor Bondi claims Wedding placed a reward on the witness to testify against him.

Bondi announced the new charges against the former Olympian at a news conference in Washington, D.C., attended by FBI Director Kash Patel and other senior officials, describing the allegations as extraordinarily disturbing. The witness was shot and killed earlier in the year on January 31, 2025.

WHO IS RYAN WEDDING?

Wedding, who is believed to be hiding in Mexico, represented Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. In September 2024, he was indicted on a superseding indictment for attempted murder and certain other crimes. According to Attorney General Bondi, Wedding’s criminal network is responsible for transporting approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles each year via semi-truck shipments.

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HOW DID RYAN WEDDING MANAGE THE KILLING OF FEDERAL WITNESS?

Bondi detailed how Wedding targeted the alleged witness and outlined the drastic steps he took to find her: “Wedding used a Canadian website called The Dirty News to post photos of the witness and his wife in an attempt to locate him, which was ultimately successful. The witness was shot to death at a restaurant in Medellin before he could testify against Wedding,” Bondi said.

“We are in close cooperation with the wedding” Sinaloa cartel“A foreign terrorist organization is inundating not only Americans but also Canadian communities with cocaine from Colombia.”

FBI PAID 15 MILLION DOLLARS FOR RYAN’S WEDDING

US investigators say Wedding’s drug network transported cocaine to major cities in the US and Canada. The investigation has led to more than 35 indictments so far; More than 2,000 kilos of cocaine, weapons, $3 million in cryptocurrency and $13 million in other assets were seized.

Already facing multiple charges and allegedly being protected by a cartel, the fugitive former snowboarder now faces additional charges of murder, witness intimidation, money laundering and human trafficking.

According to the New York Post, the US State Department increased the reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture from $10 million to $15 million on Wednesday.