Ex-Canadian Olympian now a fugitive in drug ring murder case

LOS ANGELES - A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is now a fugitive at large, wanted for running a cocaine drug trafficking ring that allegedly involved multiple murders.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (USAO), ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding, 43, and 15 others have been charged with running and participating in a drug trafficking operation that brought hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada.

A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is now a fugitive at-large, wanted for running a cocaine drug trafficking ring that allegedly involved multiple murders. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (USAO), ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding, 43, and 15 others have been charged for running and participating in a drug trafficking operation that brought hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico, into the United States and Canada. The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Wedding and 34-year-old Andrew Clark, both Canadian citizens living in Mexico, were previously charged for running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and drug trafficking. Clark was arrested by Mexican law enforcement on Oct. 8. Wedding is a wanted fugitive.

Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigations

Wedding and 34-year-old Andrew Clark, both Canadian citizens living in Mexico, were previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder and drug trafficking. Clark was arrested by Mexican law enforcement on Oct. 8. Wedding is a wanted fugitive.

The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

According to the USAO, the superseding indictment alleges that Wedding and Clark helped ship bulk quantities of cocaine from around January 2024 to August 2024. The indictment also alleges that Wedding and Clark orchestrated the murders of two family members in Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 20, 2023. The motive behind the deadly shootings was retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. One member of the family survived the shooting but was left seriously injured.

Wedding, who went by aliases such as 'El Jefe', 'Giant', and 'Public Enemy', is also alleged to have ordered the murder of another victim over a drug debt on May 18, 2024.

Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, racing in the Men's Parallel Giant Slalom where he finished in 24th place.

The ex-Olympian is charged with eight felonies, including 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 and one count of attempted murder.

"As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "My office’s mandate is to protect the public and stopping sophisticated and violent organized crime groups goes to the heart of that mission. We will continue to collaborate with our federal, local, and international law enforcement partners to bring these groups to justice."

The following items were seized by law enforcement during the investigation:

More than a ton of cocaine
Three firearms
Dozens of rounds of ammunition
$255,400 in U.S. cash
More than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency

If convicted, Wedding could face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison on the murder and attempted murder charges. The continuing criminal enterprise charges also carry a life sentence. The drug trafficking charges carry a minimum of 10–15 years in prison.

Wedding previously was convicted in the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and he was sentenced to prison in 2010, federal records show. U.S. authorities believe that after Wedding’s release, he resumed drug trafficking and has been protected by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.