Los Angeles, CA – March 7, 2025 – A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder has found himself at the center of an international manhunt after being named to the FBI’s prestigious Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Ryan James Wedding, 43, who once represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is now accused of orchestrating a sprawling transnational drug trafficking operation and ordering multiple murders, marking a dramatic fall from his days on the snowy slopes.
The announcement came on March 6, 2025, during a press conference in Los Angeles, where Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, detailed the allegations against Wedding. Authorities claim that Wedding, born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, led a criminal enterprise responsible for shipping hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and various U.S. locations. The operation, which allegedly ran from 2011 to 2024, is said to have relied on long-haul semi-trucks to transport the illicit cargo.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” Davis remarked, highlighting the stark contrast between Wedding’s athletic past and his alleged criminal present. “The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man.”
Wedding’s criminal activities reportedly escalated beyond drug trafficking. A September 2024 federal indictment in the Central District of California charges him with orchestrating three murders and an attempted murder, including the November 2023 killings of two innocent family members in Caledon, Ontario, mistakenly targeted in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. The FBI also alleges he ordered additional killings in Ontario’s Niagara and Peel regions tied to drug debts and rivalries.
The U.S. Department of State has amplified the stakes by offering a $10 million reward under its Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to Wedding’s arrest or conviction, one of the largest bounties in recent memory. This follows an initial $50,000 reward from the FBI, underscoring the urgency to apprehend the fugitive, who is believed to be hiding in Mexico, possibly under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Wedding, known by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” competed in the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Olympics, finishing 24th. His athletic career, however, has long been overshadowed by legal troubles. In 2010, he was convicted in the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, serving over a year in prison, and Canadian authorities have linked him to unresolved drug trafficking charges dating back to 2015.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom” in a nod to Wedding’s Olympic event, has been a collaborative effort involving the FBI, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Los Angeles Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration. To date, it has resulted in the seizure of over a ton of cocaine, firearms, and millions in cash and cryptocurrency, alongside the arrest of Wedding’s alleged second-in-command, Andrew Clark, in Mexico in October 2024.
Authorities describe Wedding as a 6’3”, 240-pound individual with brown hair and blue eyes, potentially sporting a beard or mustache. The FBI warns that he should be considered armed and dangerous. “His addition to the Ten Most Wanted list, coupled with a major reward offer, will make the public our partner so we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger,” Davis emphasized. 17GEN4.com
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