A former Olympic snowboarder who represented Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Games has been charged with allegedly running a multi-million dollar drug trafficking operation that is claimed to have smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across several borders, the FBI announced.
On Thursday, the FBI informed the public that it is on the hunt for Ryan James Wedding, who is currently under investigation for eight felonies – including but not limited to conspiracy to export cocaine, murder in connection with a criminal enterprise and drug crime, conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, and attempted murder in connection with his drug enterprise.
A $50,000 reward has been offered to anyone who can provide information that’d lead to the arrest of Wedding, who is actively considered an armed and dangerous fugitive, per the FBI. The 43-year-old is one of 16 defendants indicted on charges of running a “transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine” from Mexico to California and eventually Canada earlier this year, the U.S. attorney’s office said in an official statement.
- Olympic swimmer who wanted to be police officer found guilty of eight child sex offences
- Caitlin Clark discovers voting breakdown for All-WNBA First Team as Olympic chiefs humbled
“As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said.
“My office’s mandate is to protect the public and stopping sophisticated and violent organized crime groups goes to the heart of that mission. We will continue to collaborate with our federal, local, and international law enforcement partners to bring these groups to justice.”
Last year, Wedding – who also went by “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy” – and another man, Andrew Clark allegedly orchestrated the “murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada,” as payback “for a stolen drug shipment,” per the U.S. attorney’s office. The pair additionally are accused of ordering the killing of another victim for a drug debt owed to them back in May, the statement said.
Follow us on Xfor the best and latest in sports news
Ryan James Wedding is accused of running a drug trafficking operation that smuggled cocaine across borders (
FBI)
According to prosecutors, Wedding’s posse shipped as much as 827 pounds of cocaine in one month alone by utilizing stash houses and a vast transportation network featuring long-haul semi-trucks. So far in the investigation, LAPD officers have already managed to seize over one ton of cocaine, three firearms, $250,000 and more than $3.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.
“The Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization and its unremitting, callous and greed-driven crimes has been operating for far too long, spanning several countries, from Colombia through Mexico, the U.S. and to Canada,” said Matthew Allen, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
“They have triggered an avalanche of violent crimes, including brutal murders. Wedding, the Olympian snowboarder, went from navigating slopes to contouring a life of incessant crimes. DEA and our partners stand firmly in our resolve to dismantle his operation.”
Leave a Reply