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Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has reportedly been accused of drug trafficking and murder by law enforcement in Los Angeles. The Canadian has been labeled ‘Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord’ by federal authorities and is currently on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Wedding competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he finished 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom. As per reports, the 43-year-old is accused of "two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and one count of attempt to murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.”
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According to reports, a federal arrest warrant has been issued for Wedding in the United States District Court, Central District of California. Ryan Wedding is allegedly responsible for running a criminal enterprise that smuggled 16 tons of cocaine to Canada every year, making him the largest cocaine supplier in the country.
A statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, on the matter reads,
"A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder and 15 other defendants have been charged in a 16-count superseding indictment for allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and whose leaders orchestrated multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes.
"The organization resorted to violence – including multiple murders – to achieve its aims. Wedding and Clark allegedly directed the November 20, 2023, murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. Another member of that family survived the shooting but was left with serious physical injuries. Wedding and Andrew Clark allegedly also ordered the murder of another victim on May 18, 2024, over a drug debt.”
Ryan Wedding was previously sentenced to prison in 2010
This is not Ryan Wedding’s first run-in with the authorities. In 2010, he was reportedly accused of cocaine trafficking by the FBI. Back then, the Canadian had fought to have the case against him dismissed due to the ‘outrageous conduct’ by the American government, which he alleged included a violent former KGB agent as an undercover operative. However, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Ryan Wedding also has unresolved drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015, as per reports. The 43-year-old is currently a fugitive, and the FBI has issued a reward of up to $50,000 ‘for information leading up to his apprehension, arrest, and extradition.
