 "US Attorney General Pam Bondi stands near wanted poster for Canadian fugitive Ryan James Wedding as she speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice, November 19, 2025, in Washington, DC, US. File Image/AP")
Ryan Wedding’s name once appeared on Olympic rosters and sports broadcasts.
Today, it features on a far more notorious list — the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
More than twenty years after representing Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, the former elite snowboarder is at the centre of a sprawling United States federal manhunt, accused of directing a massive narcotics pipeline and a series of violent crimes across North America.
Wedding, now 43, is being pursued under multiple indictments issued by US authorities, including newly unsealed charges that he orchestrated the killing of a federal witness earlier this year.
The allegations outline a dramatic and sustained shift in the trajectory of a onetime Olympian who finished 24th in Salt Lake City yet now stands accused of operating a cocaine network so large and entrenched that officials compare him to some of the most infamous traffickers of recent decades.
From Olympic athlete to alleged criminal architect
Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding represented Canada in the men’s parallel giant slalom event in 2002.
While not a medal contender, his presence among the world’s top snowboarders marked a significant personal achievement. Shortly thereafter, his competitive career came to an end — and, according to prosecutors, a very different path began.
Over the two decades that followed, investigators say Wedding built a highly coordinated narcotics supply system, funnelling cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States and Canada.
Authorities allege the operation eventually reached industrial-scale dimensions, with shipments measured in tonnes rather than kilogrammes.
His transformation into a criminal figure is reflected in the multiple aliases officials say he adopted, including “El Jefe,” “Jesse King,” “Public Enemy,” and “James Conrad King.”
US law enforcement agencies now characterise him as the head of a well-connected trafficking consortium with direct collaboration with the Sinaloa Cartel.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated during a press briefing that he oversees “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organisations” active today.
The widening scope of the investigation reveals that he is allegedly responsible for moving large quantities of cocaine into major North American cities and orchestrating retaliatory killings to protect the operation.
“Wedding collaborates closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organisation, to flood not only American but also Canadian communities with cocaine coming from Colombia,” Bondi said.
“His organisation is responsible for importing approximately six metric tonnes of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semi trucks from Mexico.”
How the federal case against Wedding has expanded
The most recent indictment, unsealed on Wednesday only adds to the already extensive list of criminal counts facing Wedding.
Long before his current status as a wanted fugitive, Wedding had already been recognized by law enforcement. In 2010, he was convicted on drug trafficking charges and served a four-year sentence in prison.
The most recent document outlines allegations of witness tampering, intimidation, murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
These charges relate to a killing earlier this year in Colombia, where a federal witness identified as Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia was murdered in January. Prosecutors claim the killing was carried out to prevent the witness from testifying against Wedding.
Investigators allege that Wedding and his closest associates ordered multiple targeted killings in Canada and the United States.
The list includes two deaths in Ontario on November 20, 2023, which officials believe were retaliation for a stolen shipment, and another homicide in May 2024 linked to an unpaid debt.
Authorities also accuse Wedding of directing an attempted murder tied to his narcotics enterprise.
Wedding’s second-in-command, Andrew Clark, was arrested in October 2024 in Mexico. Bondi noted he was among “29 fugitives who arrived to the United States from Mexico a week ago.”
Clark, a Canadian national reportedly aged 34, is considered a key figure in coordinating shipments through the US Southwest and into Canada.
During the same press conference, FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis summarised the dramatic shift in Wedding’s public identity.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of US cities and in his native Canada,” Davis said.
“The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger.”
How Wedding orchestrated the killing of a federal witness
One of the most disturbing allegations relates to the killing of the federal witness in Colombia.
Investigators say Wedding’s associates used a Canadian website known as “the Dirty News” to post a photograph of the witness, effectively identifying him for those assigned to carry out the killing.
Authorities claim this digital tactic was part of a broader intimidation strategy aimed at eliminating individuals who could weaken the organisation’s defences against law enforcement.
Bondi framed the killing as a critical juncture in the investigation, “A former Olympic snowboarder for Canada who is wanted by authorities for running a multi-national drug trafficking network is facing additional charges in connection with the killing of a federal witness,” she announced.
The murder, she explained, was intended “to help Wedding avoid extradition to the US”
What we know about Operation Giant Slalom
As authorities pursued Wedding and the network allegedly built around him, the US Department of Justice launched an extensive enforcement action named “Operation Giant Slalom.”
The operation resulted in the arrest of ten individuals whom federal officials consider closely connected to Wedding’s criminal activities. The name of the operation appears to reflect a reference to Wedding’s former sporting discipline.
Among those detained was Ontario attorney Deepak Paradkar. Prosecutors accuse him of advising Wedding to authorise the killing of the witness whose death is now central to the new charges.
Paradkar was one of 17 additional defendants named in the unsealed indictment, which traces the alleged roles of multiple individuals in maintaining the organisation’s operations, finances, intelligence, and enforcement mechanisms.
The Department of Justice has stated that the indictments represent one of the most extensive efforts in recent years to disrupt a major drug trafficking syndicate with roots in both Canada and Mexico.
Officials say evidence gathered so far indicates the organisation constructed a supply chain that extended from Colombian sources to cartel intermediaries and then into North American distribution hubs, primarily in Southern California.
From there, cocaine shipments were allegedly transported into Canada using long-haul trucks modified to conceal massive loads.
How the authorities are turning up the heat on Wedding
In coordination with the new criminal charges, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Wedding and several individuals linked to his operations.
US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley described the strategy during the announcement.
“Treasury is joining with the FBI and the Department of Justice to cut Wedding and his criminal partners off from the US financial system and help dismantle the network they rely on,” Hurley said.
“Our goal is simple: make it difficult for criminals like this to profit from poisoning our communities.”
Treasury officials contend that by restricting access to financial institutions, they can limit the organisation’s ability to launder profits and purchase the equipment, vehicles, and logistical assets required to maintain a multinational narcotics pipeline.
The US government has also repeatedly raised the reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest as the investigation progresses.
Initially offering $10 million, the US State Department has now increased the figure to $15 million. There is a separate offer of $2 million for information leading to the capture of others accused of participating in the witness killing.
The FBI has added its own reward of $50,000 for tips that directly result in Wedding’s arrest and extradition.
This combined bounty places Wedding among the highest-value fugitives currently sought by US authorities.
Officials believe he is living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel, which they say benefits from the partnership he forged through years of collaboration.
FBI’s Director Kash Patel highlighted the degree of threat Wedding represents in stark terms.
“Make no mistake about it. Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar,” Patel said. “He’s a modern-day iteration of El Chapo Guzmán.”
What next for Wedding
If apprehended, Wedding faces a wide array of charges, each carrying substantial penalties. Prosecutors have stated that the charge related to operating a criminal enterprise carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
Murder and attempted murder counts each carry minimum sentences of 20 years.
The drug trafficking allegations carry potential penalties ranging from ten to fifteen years.
Should the charges result in convictions, the sentencing structure suggests he would likely spend the remainder of his life in prison.
Authorities are also pursuing several of his alleged associates on a parallel track. Many of the individuals named in the recently unsealed indictment face charges that could result in decades behind bars if found guilty.
US officials say the prosecution strategy aims not only to apprehend Wedding but also to dismantle the entire network linked to his operations.
“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.”
Also Watch:
With inputs from agencies