From Olympic Slopes to International Fugitive
The FBI is conducting an intense international manhunt for Ryan Wedding, a 43-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, who stands accused of leading a drug trafficking organisation of a scale that authorities have likened to that of Pablo Escobar. Wedding, who competed for Team Canada in the 2002 Salt Lake City games, is now one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, with the reward for information leading to his capture being raised to a staggering $15 million this week.
A Web of Violence and Billion-Dollar Cocaine Trade
US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a series of new charges against Wedding, including witness tampering, intimidation, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. A newly unsealed indictment alleges a particularly chilling crime: Wedding tracked down a witness in Colombia, 42-year-old Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, who was then shot and killed in a Medellin restaurant in January before he could testify.
Bondi described Wedding's alleged operations as "one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organisations" globally. She revealed that his network is responsible for importing approximately 60 metric tonnes of cocaine annually into Los Angeles from Mexico via semi-trucks—a weight equivalent to about 40 family cars.
FBI Director Kash Patel left no room for ambiguity about the suspect's notoriety, stating, "Make no mistake about it: Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar and El Chapo Guzmán."
International Takedown and Corrupt Protection
Authorities confirm that Wedding's evasion of capture is aided by protection from the deadly Sinaloa Cartel and corrupt officials within Mexico. Akil Davis, Assistant Director of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, publicly stated, "He’s being protected by the Sinaloa cartel along with others in the country of Mexico."
In a related international takedown, several associates have been arrested. These include Ontario lawyer Deepak Paradkar, who allegedly advised Wedding to murder the FBI witness, and Atna Onha from Montreal, charged with murder conspiracy in the same killing. Wedding himself faces eight felonies, including three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
This is not Wedding's first encounter with the law; he was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and sentenced to four years in prison after attempting to buy cocaine from a US government agent.
