Ryan James Wedding is a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder whose life changed dramatically after his sporting career. Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding represented Canada in the giant slalom snowboarding event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Years later, he became the subject of a major international investigation and was accused by U.S. authorities of leading a large transnational drug trafficking organization.
Wedding's criminal record predates the latest federal case. In 2010, he was convicted in the United States of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and received a four-year prison sentence. According to reporting by ABC News and other outlets, investigators later alleged that he expanded his criminal connections after his release and became involved in a much larger organization operating across several countries.
In March 2025, the FBI placed Wedding on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. U.S. authorities alleged that he was responsible for a transnational cocaine trafficking network moving large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California toward Canada and other destinations in the United States. The U.S. Department of State eventually increased the reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction to as much as $15 million.
Federal prosecutors also accused Wedding and associates of ordering multiple killings connected to the organization. One of the cases involved the 2025 killing of a potential federal witness in Medellín, Colombia. Other allegations concerned deaths and an attempted killing in Ontario, Canada. These accusations remain matters for the courts and should not be confused with criminal convictions.
The investigation became known publicly as a major multinational law-enforcement operation. The U.S. Department of Justice said Wedding was the lead defendant in federal indictments charging him with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking offenses and murder-related charges. Authorities also alleged connections between his organization and Mexican criminal groups.
After more than a decade as a fugitive, Wedding was apprehended in Mexico in January 2026 and brought to the United States. The FBI subsequently confirmed his capture, ending his status as a member of its Ten Most Wanted list.
On January 26, 2026, Wedding appeared in federal court in Santa Ana, California, where he pleaded not guilty to 17 felony charges contained in two indictments. He was ordered to remain in U.S. custody while the federal case proceeds.
The case illustrates an unusual trajectory: an athlete who competed for Canada on the Olympic stage eventually became one of the FBI's most prominent fugitives. However, despite descriptions such as “drug kingpin” used by authorities and media, Wedding remains legally presumed innocent unless and until the charges against him are proven in court.
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