Credited from: NPR
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada, has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly leading a violent transnational drug trafficking network and orchestrating multiple murders. The U.S. State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest, in addition to a $50,000 reward offered by the FBI. Investigators believe that Wedding, 43, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is currently hiding in Mexico but has not ruled out his presence in other locations, including the U.S. and Canada.
According to authorities, Wedding is accused of shipping hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and into locations in Southern California, then on to Canada and other U.S. cities. His operation not only involved drug trafficking but also included orchestrating acts of violence, including the murders of several individuals believed to obstruct his drug dealings. “Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets,” stated Akil Davis, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
The indictment details that Wedding and his accomplice Andrew Clark, his second-in-command, were charged with crimes including running a continuing criminal enterprise and orchestrating murders. Some of the killings, including those of two family members in Ontario in November 2023, were claimed to be in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, marked as egregious cases of mistaken identity.
Wedding is believed to have adopted several aliases including "El Jefe," "Public Enemy," and "James Conrad King." His criminal activities reportedly spanned over a period from 2011 to 2024, and the FBI has noted the alarming nature of his operations, expressing that the public's assistance is critical in locating him.
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