Mexican authorities have arrested Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who was listed among the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives, over allegations connecting him to an international drug trafficking syndicate and the murder of a federal witness, U.S. officials confirmed on Friday.
Wedding, 44, was taken into custody late Thursday in Mexico after spending several years evading law enforcement, according to the Associated Press. His arrest followed extensive coordination between Mexican and United States security agencies.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Wedding was the leader of a large-scale narcotics operation operating across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Authorities claim he oversaw the movement of cocaine through complex cross-border routes and ordered multiple killings to protect the criminal network from exposure.
Prior to his arrest, U.S. authorities had placed a reward of up to $15 million on information leading to Wedding’s capture, highlighting the significance of the case and the scale of the alleged crimes.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest in separate social media statements. Patel revealed that Wedding was already in the process of being transferred to U.S. custody, describing the operation as a major breakthrough for regional security efforts.
“Those who believe they can evade justice forever are mistaken,” Patel stated, emphasizing the determination of law enforcement agencies to pursue fugitives across borders.
Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, disclosed that the arrest was the result of close collaboration between U.S. and Mexican officials. He noted that two high-profile detainees were handed over after meetings with American authorities in Mexico, including a Canadian citizen who surrendered at the U.S. Embassy. A Mexican security official later identified that individual as Wedding.
Wedding previously represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he competed in the men’s parallel giant slalom snowboarding event and finished 24th. Authorities say that years after his athletic career, he transitioned into organized crime, operating under aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “James Conrad Kin.”
According to U.S. prosecutors, Wedding allegedly used commercial transport trucks to smuggle cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into Southern California, with the drugs then distributed onward to Canada. He was formally charged in the United States in 2024 for his alleged role in the trafficking operation.
Later that same year, prosecutors expanded the case, accusing him of orchestrating the murder of a cooperating witness in Colombia in an attempt to obstruct extradition efforts. Investigators claim members of the network used a Canada-based website, The Dirty News, to publish the witness’s photograph, allowing hired assassins to identify him. The witness was later located at a restaurant in Medellín and fatally shot in January.
Canadian authorities have also been pursuing Wedding. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police disclosed that he has faced separate drug trafficking charges in Canada since 2015.
This was not Wedding’s first encounter with U.S. law enforcement. Federal records show he was convicted in 2010 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and served a prison sentence. Prosecutors now believe that after his release, he returned to the drug trade, allegedly operating under the protection of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
Wedding is expected to face prosecution in the United States as extradition proceedings advance, with officials reaffirming their commitment to holding him accountable for the alleged crimes.
