Once a national athlete, Ryan Wedding competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics for Canada, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom. Authorities now allege that he traded Olympic fame for a life of crime — one involving cocaine, cartel connections, and murder.
The U.S. government now considers the 44‑year-old a top fugitive. Law‑enforcement agencies place him alongside the most dangerous drug traffickers in the world.
Charges: Drug Trafficking, Murder & Money Laundering
Authorities have named Wedding the head of a transnational drug network that moves huge quantities of narcotics from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada.
In a sweeping indictment unsealed recently, prosecutors accuse him of ordering the murder of a federal witness who was due to testify against him. The wedding allegedly placed a bounty on the man’s head; the witness was assassinated before he could testify.
U.S. officials describe his criminal enterprise as “one of the most prolific and violent drug‑trafficking organisations in the world.”
Car, Cash, and Cartel Protection — A Lifestyle of Crime
As part of the probe, law‑enforcement agencies seized a rare, multi‑million‑dollar supercar belonging to Wedding — a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR — one of only a handful ever built, underlining the scale of his illicit wealth.
Investigators say that Wedding now hides in Mexico, under the protection of cartel allies. The U.S. State Department recently raised the reward for his capture to US$15 million.
Wider Crackdown: Arrests & International Cooperation
As part of the investigation, authorities arrested multiple associates across Canada, Colombia, and the U.S. The arrested include a lawyer accused of advising Wedding to murder the witness, and several alleged money‑launderers and cartel collaborators.
Authorities warn that Wedding remains extremely dangerous. He is described as tall, muscular, and known to change appearance frequently — a classic fugitive profile.
A Life Transformed — From Snowboard Slopes to Global Notoriety
Ryan Wedding’s rise from an Olympic athlete to an international crime kingpin is as shocking as it is tragic. In just a few years, he allegedly turned from representing his country on snowy slopes to orchestrating a global cocaine network, protected by one of the world’s deadliest cartels.
U.S. officials have vowed to hunt him down, break up his criminal enterprise, and bring perpetrators — no matter where they hide — to justice. “Whether you are a street‑level drug dealer or an international drug kingpin, we are coming for you,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Until then, Wedding remains at large — a fugitive whose fall from grace serves as a stark warning about how even athletes can descend into darkness when greed and crime take over.
