WASHINGTON (AP) — Prominent Justice Department figures announced on Friday that Ryan Wedding, a Canadian ex-Olympic snowboarder and one of the FBI’s most sought-after escapees, has been apprehended in Mexico. He stands accused of international narcotics illicit trade and the murder of a government informant.
The 44-year-old Wedding is implicated in heading a drug ring, with authorities alleging he coordinated multiple homicides to advance these illicit activities. His name appeared on the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, and a substantial reward of $15 million was available for details resulting in his capture and sentencing.
American Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel used social media to corroborate Wedding’s apprehension. Patel stated that Wedding was in transit to the United States subsequent to his capture on Thursday evening in Mexico, a location where American officials suspect the former Olympic athlete had been evading capture for over ten years.
“This marks a significant milestone for increased security across North America and globally,” Patel communicated on the social media platform X, “and delivers a clear warning that individuals who violate our statutes and endanger our populace will face legal repercussions.”
Later on Friday, Patel was anticipated to conduct a press briefing in California.
Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch posted on X that Patel engaged in discussions in Mexico on Thursday and departed on Friday accompanied by two individuals under arrest. According to Harfuch, these two included a Canadian national who surrendered at the U.S. embassy, and another person, a top FBI target, taken into custody by Mexican law enforcement.
An individual within Mexico’s Security Cabinet, preferring to remain unnamed due to restrictions on public communication, informed The Associated Press that Wedding was indeed the Canadian who willingly surrendered.
Wedding represented his nation at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City. Official Olympic records indicate his involvement in one male snowboarding discipline, the parallel giant slalom, where he secured the 24th position.
In 2024, Wedding faced accusations of directing a narcotics syndicate that employed large trucks for transporting cocaine across Colombia, Mexico, Southern California, and Canada. Investigators noted his various monikers, such as “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “James Conrad Kin.”
Last November, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that he also received an indictment for allegedly masterminding the murder of a witness in Colombia, an act intended to prevent his extradition to the United States.
Investigators reported that Wedding and his accomplices utilized a Canadian web platform named “The Dirty News” to circulate a picture of the informant, enabling their identification and subsequent elimination. The informant was subsequently trailed to an eatery in Medellín in January and suffered a fatal gunshot to the head.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Wedding is confronting distinct narcotics distribution accusations in Canada, dating back to the year 2015.
Federal documents confirm that Wedding was previously found guilty in the U.S. for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, leading to a prison sentence in 2010. In 2024, federal prosecutors expressed their conviction that Wedding, upon his release from incarceration, had recommenced drug dealing activities, allegedly safeguarded by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
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Fabiola Sánchez, a journalist for the Associated Press stationed in Mexico City, provided material for this report.
