Who is Ryan James Wedding? What to know about Canadian snowboarder charged with running cocaine ring | Sporting News Canada

How’s this for a movie description: Olympic snowboarder on the run for leading a drug trafficking ring, specializing in cocaine shipments across the Americas—and also, murder.

That became a reality this week for Ryan James Wedding.

Authorities revealed Thursday that the former Canadian winter athlete was charged with running a “criminal enterprise, murder, conspiring to distribute cocaine and other crimes,” per the AP. With that, the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and extradition of the 43-year-old.

“Ryan Wedding is still at large,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Krysti Hawkins.

Here’s what to know about Wedding, the former Olympian accused of spearheading an international cocaine ring called “The Wedding Criminal Enterprise.”

MORE: Final Olympic medal count 2024

Who is Ryan James Wedding?

Now retired, Wedding competed for Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He participated in the men’s Parallel Giant Slalom snowboarding event, earning 24th overall. 

The latest news doesn’t mark the first time Wedding has run into trouble with the law since he left the snow behind. Six years after his Olympic debut, he was arrested in San Diego, California, on cocaine trafficking charges. Wedding was convicted the next year in federal court of “conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine” after a jury trial.

He was sentenced to prison in 2010, but shortly resumed his illicit activities when released four years later, eventually linking up with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel—the same cartel led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán from the mid-1980s until his arrest in 1993.

Additionally, Wedding also faces separate drug trafficking charges in his home country dating back to 2015 that are “very much unresolved,” according to Chief Superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chris Leather.

Ryan James Wedding charges, explained

When Wedding’s snowboarding career wasn’t panning out, he made the career pivot of the century. Within a decade of retiring from the sport, he was embedded in the Mexican-American cocaine trade and buddied up with the biggest names of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

“He chose to become a major drug trafficker and a killer,” U.S. Atty. for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said during a news conference.

The #FBI offers a reward of up to $50,000 for info leading to the apprehension, arrest & extradition of Ryan James Wedding, wanted for alleged involvement in a transnational drug trafficking operation & multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes: https://t.co/RFdFwKgSaf pic.twitter.com/YY6s8pmPqx

— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) October 17, 2024

Called “The Wedding Criminal Enterprise,” his organization is accused of “conspiracy to export cocaine, with running a continuing criminal enterprise, and with three murders in connection with the operation as well as an attempted murder,” per the Los Angeles Times.

The kingpin became known by nicknames such as “El Jefe” (meaning “the boss” in Spanish) and “Public Enemy” while running the enterprise from 2011 to 2024 alongside second-in-command Andrew Clark, who was arrested earlier this month in Mexico. 

It’s estimated that the duo facilitated the movement of 60 tons of cocaine per year, according to Estrada, who called the organization “extremely prolific.” Federal prosecutors stated it was a billion-dollar venture, from which they collected more than a ton of cocaine, dozens of rounds of ammunition and over $3 million in cryptocurrency throughout the investigation.

The operation shipped cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and into Southern California, crossing the border at Tijuana before being stored in Los Angeles warehouses. From there, Wedding and Clark distributed the drug to Canada and other parts of the U.S. in trucks while working with a Canadian drug transportation network led by Hardeep Ratte and Gurpreet Singh. 

“They were killers. Anyone who got in their way they would target with violence, including murder,” Estrada said, referring to how Wedding and Clark would literally hire “contract killers” to assassinate their opponents.

One of these instances involved an Indian couple visiting Canada in November 2023, who the pair believed to had stolen a shipment. The case was discovered to be mistaken identity, but the couple was shot to death in front of their daughter. She was also shot but survived. 

Earlier this year, Clark and Malik Damion—one of the 16 others charged in the case—facilitated another murder. The Ontario man was shot to death in his driveway in April, a month before Wedding and Clark are reported to have had one more individual killed over a “drug debt” as he sat in his car, also in his driveway. All of the killings were execution style, Estrada said.

As of now, Wedding is a fugitive who was last seen living in Mexico. Four accused of conspiring are on the run, while 12 were arrested in Florida, Michigan, Canada, Colombia and Mexico in connection with the case.

This story will be updated as information is released.

Ryan James Wedding snowboarding career

Wedding was a part of the four-member Canadian Parallel Giant Slalom squad, finishing 24th overall and third among his teammates. His time of 38.61 on his qualification run was not enough to propel him into the Round of 16—in fact, only one of the Canadians made it through thanks to Jerome Sylvestre, who qualified sixth. 

Nevertheless, Sylvestre was eliminated shortly after losing to American Chris Klug by 0.05 seconds. His final ranking was 12th, and none of the four would bring home a medal. 

On the team in addition to Wedding and Sylvestre, eventual six-time Olympian and 2010 gold medalist Jasey-Jay Anderson competed in his second Games that year but didn’t have his breakthrough until eight years later. Mark Fawcett also participated, but Salt Lake was both his, Wedding and Sylvestre’s final Olympics.