New charges have been filed against former Canadian Olympian snowboarder Ryan Wedding. United States Attorney General Pam Bondi alleges he is the “largest distributor of cocaine” in Canada. These new charges came after Wedding allegedly ordered the killing of a witness who was scheduled to testify against him in his federal drug trafficking case.
Ryan Wedding Exposed as Drug Trafficker
The former 44-year-old Olympian is currently on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is considered the “leader of a transnational criminal enterprise.” Bondi spoke at a press briefing on Wednesday to address the new charges in Wedding’s case.
“Wedding collaborates closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, to flood not only American but also Canadian communities with cocaine coming from Colombia,” Bondi said. “His organization is responsible for importing approximately six metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semi-trucks from Mexico.”
Federal Indictments for Cocaine
In June 2024, Wedding, along with his second-in-command, Andrew Clark, were indicted in the Central District of California for charges related to running a criminal enterprise, committing murder, assorted drug crimes, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Clark was arrested in October 2023 by Mexican authorities and is one of the fugitives who were brought back to the United States from Mexico last week.
In September 2024, Wedding was indicted in Los Angeles by a federal grand jury on multiple federal counts, including attempted murder, continuing criminal enterprise, and assorted drug crimes. He and Clark, along with many others who were indicted, allegedly conspired to ship bulk quantities of cocaine from Southern California to Canada. The shipments of cocaine were brought from Mexico to Los Angeles and stashed in various houses before being loaded onto long-haul semi-truck couriers for transport to Canada.
New Murder Charge
According to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, Wedding is newly charged in connection with the January murder of a witness inside a restaurant in Colombia. The witness died at the scene after being shot five times in the head.
“Wedding placed a bounty on the victim’s head in the erroneous belief that the victim’s death would result in the dismissal of criminal charges against him and his international drug trafficking ring. He also believed that this action would ensure that he was not extradited to the United States,” Essayli said during Wednesday’s press briefing.
Wedding and 18 others were charged with orchestrating the murder, including his lawyer, who has been identified as 62-year-old Deepak Balwant Paradkar. He allegedly advised Wedding that if he were to kill the witness, then the charges brought against him in 2024 would be dropped. Paradkar was arrested on Tuesday and will be extradited to the United States from Canada. At this time, authorities have not identified the shooter and are still investigating.
Authorities Continue Their Search
Ten of those indicted were arrested Tuesday, bringing the total in custody to 11. Authorities continue their search for four other defendants, including the shooter and Wedding, who has been on the run for many years. Authorities have been unable to track his whereabouts but believe he is residing in Mexico. The State Department has upped its reward offer from $10 million to $15 million for any information leading to Wedding’s arrest.
The Treasury Department put sanctions on him and his alleged drug enterprise, claiming he launders money through a complex web of financial transactions. FBI Director Kash Patel said Wedding is the “modern-day” Pablo Escobar. “Make no mistake, Ryan Wedding is extremely dangerous,” Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office Akil Davis said. “He’s extremely violent, and he’s extremely wealthy. He’s being protected by the Sinaloa cartel, along with others in the country of Mexico. We will find him, and we will bring him to justice.”
