A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who became a violent drug kingpin now sits atop the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list – and there’s a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Ryan James Wedding, 44, competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom snowboarding event.
Federal prosecutors now say he leads one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world as part of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced new charges against Wedding on Wednesday, including witness tampering, intimidation, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking related to the killing of a federal witness in Medellin, Colombia in January 2025.
“Whether you are a street-level drug dealer or an international drug kingpin, we are coming for you,” Bondi said. “We will find you, and you will be accountable and held to justice for your crimes. It’s killing our kids.”
The Department of Justice alleges Wedding ordered the killing of a witness in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him. Authorities say Wedding placed a bounty on the victim and enlisted others to locate and kill the target, who was shot to death in a restaurant in Medellin, Columbia in January.
“The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “This week’s arrests underscore our resolve to root out and punish the wrongdoers involved in this criminal organization and serve as a warning for drug lord Ryan Wedding: If convicted, you will never see the outside of a prison ever again.”
Wedding was first charged in June 2024 with running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with the enterprise and assorted drug crimes, and conspiring to possess, distribute and export cocaine. A superseding indictment in September 2024 added an attempted murder charge.
Federal prosecutors allege Wedding and his organization arranged the shipment of approximately 60 tons of cocaine per year using long-haul semitrucks to move drugs between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California, and Canada.
Wedding and his second-in-command, Andrew Clark, 34, also Canadian, directed the murders of two members of a family in Caledon, Ontario, Canada on November 20, 2023, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California, the FBI said. Another member of that family survived the shooting but was left with serious physical injuries.
Clark was arrested in October 2024 by Mexican authorities and was among 29 fugitives who arrived in the United States from Mexico last week.
On Tuesday, ten additional defendants were arrested as part of the second phase of a law enforcement action entitled “Operation Giant Slalom.” Among those arrested were Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, a criminal barrister who authorities say advised Wedding to murder the witness in Colombia.
“Ryan Wedding controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world and works closely with the Sinaloa Cartel. We will not rest until his name is taken off the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted List, and his narco-trafficking organization lies dismantled,” said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division.
Wedding’s aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King,” according to the FBI.
Investigators believe Wedding is living in Mexico but have not ruled out his presence in the United States, Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica or elsewhere, according to the FBI.
The FBI urges anyone with information about Wedding’s whereabouts to contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram at +1-424-495-0614. Callers may also contact their local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest was increased from $10 million to $15 million on Wednesday.