A former Olympic snowboarder has been charged with running a murderous transnational drug ring from Mexico, trafficking billions of dollars-worth of cocaine into the United States and Canada for over 13 years.
43-year-old fugitive Ryan James Wedding once represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he ranked 24th in the Parallel Giant Slalom snowboarding event.
“Instead of using the privileges that come with being an Olympic athlete to do good for people, he did the opposite,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said during a Thursday news briefing. “He chose to become a major drug trafficker and he chose to become a killer.”
In 2010, Wedding was convicted in the United States of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Estrada said authorities believe he resumed his illegal activities after his release from prison, building a transnational drug trafficking operation—the Wedding criminal enterprise—with fellow Canadian Andrew Clark, his second-in-command, and 14 other people.
Twelve of the defendants, including Clark, are in custody while four remain at large—including kingpin Wedding.
Estrada described Wedding’s organization as “extremely prolific and ruthless.” Investigators believe that his criminal enterprise moved an average of 60 tons of cocaine per year.
“They were one of the largest suppliers of cocaine to Canada and into the United States,” Estrada said.
Wedding operated his criminal enterprise from Mexico, transporting large shipments of cocaine from “cocaine kitchens” in Colombia and hidden in long-haul semi-trucks to various stash houses in the Los Angeles area, Estrada said. From there, the drugs were distributed to the U.S. East Coast and into Canada, where the street value of the drug is considerably higher.
In Mexico, Wedding’s organization enjoyed the protection of the Sinaloa cartel, Estrada said.
The drug money was laundered using cryptocurrencies. Estrada said the organization laundered a quarter of a billion dollars from April to September of this year using various cryptocurrency wallets.
In total, more than a ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 cash, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency have been seized during the ongoing investigation.
Assassinations
In addition to running the criminal enterprise, Wedding and Clark have also been charged with orchestrating multiple murders.
“They would use contract killers to assassinate anyone who they saw as an obstacle to their operation,” Estrada said.
In November 2023, they ordered the murder of a couple who they mistakenly held responsible for a lost shipment of cocaine. The investigation showed that the couple had no known connection to the criminal operation.
The couple was murdered in cold blood in the presence of their daughter, who survived the shooting with life-altering injuries, Estrada said.
Two more assassinations followed in April and May of this year.
“All of these victims were intentionally shot execution style, so their loved ones could see them murdered,” Estrada said.
Wedding, whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” and Clark, whose nicknames include “The Dictator,” face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison on murder and attempted murder charges alone.
“Organized crime groups create immense harm in all our communities, not just with the poisons they ship, but through the tragic violence that inevitably comes with it,” said Liam Price, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Director General of International Special Services.
“This operation demonstrates the value and the impact of close collaboration among international partners to combat transnational organized crime, helping keep our communities safe.”
Estrada thanked law enforcement and officials from Canada, Mexico, and Colombia for their efforts in bringing the crime ring to justice.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension, arrest, and extradition of Ryan Wedding. The 6-foot-3-inch Canadian is considered armed and dangerous.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.