The FBI has recently unveiled a new photo of Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian fugitive featured on its Ten Most Wanted list. Wedding, aged 44, is accused of orchestrating a transnational drug trafficking ring that transported large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into various parts of the United States and Canada. U.S. officials allege that he also ordered multiple murders to safeguard his illicit activities.
The U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is now offering a reward of up to $15 million for any information that leads to Wedding’s arrest or conviction. The FBI mentioned that the photo of Wedding was likely taken in Mexico during the summer of 2025.
In November, the reward was increased, and U.S. authorities announced extra incentives for details on the assassins who killed a potential witness in Medellín, Colombia, earlier in the year.
Ryan Wedding, once a snowboarding representative for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, transitioned into organized crime after his sports career. Investigators claim that Wedding built a massive narcotics empire, described by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations globally.” Bondi stated that Wedding’s operation generated over $1 billion annually and trafficked around 60 metric tons of cocaine each year, making him the primary distributor of cocaine in Canada.
It is believed that Wedding is currently residing in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. Officials suggest that he collaborates closely with the cartel to channel Colombian cocaine into markets across North America, inundating communities in both Canada and the United States.
Recent indictments in November accuse Wedding of ordering the murder of a federal witness who was shot multiple times in the head before testifying against him. Among the individuals arrested in Canada was Wedding’s attorney, Deepak Paradkar, who allegedly advised him to eliminate the witness.
The Department of Justice and the FBI are collaborating with the State and Treasury departments, along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in their efforts to capture Wedding. The FBI is appealing to anyone with information concerning Wedding’s location to step forward.