Ryan Wedding, former Olympian turned FBI Most Wanted fugitive, arrested

Ryan Wedding, the former Olympic snowboarder investigators said has been leading a major drug ring, has been arrested, U.S. officials announced Friday.

The 44-year-old Canadian was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List in connection with indictments that allege he is responsible for trafficking “multi-ton quantities of cocaine” from Colombia to Canada and connected with several murders for hire in Canada and Mexico.

“At my direction, Department of Justice agents @FBI have apprehended yet another member of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List: Ryan Wedding, the onetime Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post. “Wedding was flown to the United States where he will face justice.”

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FBI Director Kash Patel said Wedding was taken into custody Thursday night in Mexico, where he is believed to have been hiding for over a decade.

Wedding surrendered following weeks of high-stakes negotiating, according to sources. He turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, and the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was part of the effort to take him into custody and transport him back to the U.S., the sources said.

The surrender was “a direct result of pressure applied by Mexican and U.S. law enforcement working in close coordination and cooperation,” the U.S. Embassy in Mexico said in a statement.

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Patel happened to be in Mexico City on a preplanned trip when Wedding was apprehended there, the FBI director told reporters during a press briefing upon returning to the U.S. on Friday. Though he didn’t go into further details, citing the “sensitivities” of the operation.

Ryan Wedding timeline: How Canadian went from Olympic athlete to alleged drug kingpin

Wedding will remain in custody and is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on Monday, according to Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.

Wedding is accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking operation that shipped “massive amounts of cocaine” — approximately 60 metric tons — through southern California and up to Canada, Davis said during the briefing. He is also wanted for “orchestrating multiple murders of victims and government witnesses,” Davis said.

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“Ryan Wedding tormented several people and several families that will never be the same, but today they get the justice that they sought,” Davis said.

FBI releases images of seized motorcycles believed to belong to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding

Wedding was previously indicted in Los Angeles federal court on multiple federal charges, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and assorted drug crimes.

A superseding indictment was filed in November, alleging that Wedding ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug trafficking case, according to the Justice Department.

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Wedding is also facing separate drug charges in Canada, according to Canadian police, which said they “collaborated closely” with the FBI during the investigation.

“This is a great day for public safety in Canada,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said in a statement. “The capture of Ryan Wedding after a years-long investigation, and this most recent achievement, demonstrates the importance of international collaboration and the success that can be achieved when law enforcement shares intelligence.”

The U.S. Department of State was offering a $15 million reward for information regarding Wedding, who is alleged to be a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Patel.

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Before starting his alleged criminal enterprise, Wedding, whose alleged aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy,” was a professional snowboarder and competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

So far, authorities have arrested 36 people for their alleged role in the criminal organization, but are still seeking more, Davis said. The FBI is offering a $2 million reward for information leading to those additional arrests, he said.