Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, has been apprehended after evading authorities for an extended period, as per NBC News.
The 44-year-old Wedding was sought for leading a significant international drug trafficking ring that reportedly moved massive quantities of cocaine through the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. officials allege that he managed a network capable of smuggling around 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into the Los Angeles region via semitrucks based in Mexico.
In a significant development, Wedding was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list earlier this year, with a substantial $15-million reward offered for information leading to his capture or prosecution, marking one of the highest bounties for a fugitive connected to Canada.
FBI Director Kash Patel likened Wedding to infamous cartel figures like Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, stressing the alleged scale of drug trafficking and violence linked to his organization.
Although specifics of Wedding’s apprehension have not been disclosed, reports indicate that multiple agencies collaborated on the operation, with further details expected to be revealed during a press conference led by Patel on Friday at 11 a.m.
Wedding, known for representing Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, transitioned into organized crime post his sports career, creating a narcotics empire described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations globally.”
Recent indictments have accused Wedding of orchestrating the murder of a federal witness in a heinous act, where the witness was fatally shot multiple times in the head to prevent testimony. Among those apprehended in Canada was Wedding’s attorney, Deepak Paradkar, who allegedly played a role in advising the execution of the witness.
