The FBI has added a former Olympic snowboarder to its Ten Most Wanted List. He is wanted for allegedly leading an international drug trafficking network and ordering the murder of several people. The FBI is offering a $10 million reward for his capture.
On Thursday morning, federal officials revealed the shocking news regarding 43-year-old Ryan Wedding.
Wedding was part of the Canadian team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. He was then convicted in 2010 after attempting to purchase cocaine from an agent for the U.S. Government.
Officials have revealed that Wedding has used aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King.” The prosecutors believe Wedding lives in Mexico, but they haven’t ruled out the possibility that he could be in the U.S.A., Canada, or other Latin American countries.
Wedding is wanted by federal authorities for crimes, including running a transnational network of drug traffickers that shipped hundreds of kilograms cocaine regularly. Wedding’s network shipped cocaine from Colombia via Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other areas of the U.S.
Federal prosecutors said that in just one seizure, investigators discovered several defendants had about 1.8 tonnes of cocaine, with a street value of between $23 and $25 million.
Wedding is wanted in connection with a drug crime in Ontario, Canada, and a murder attempt.
“The former Canadian snowboarder unleashed an avalanche of death and destruction, here and abroad,” said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division. “He earned the name ‘El Jefe’, becoming boss of a violent transnational drug trafficking organization. Now, his face will be on ‘The Top 10 Most Wanted’ posters. He’s unremitting, callous, and greed-driven. Today’s announcement beams an even brighter searchlight on him. We ask that you help us find him.”
Officials from the federal government said that his inclusion on the FBI’s top ten list is the 535th.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announced that it will offer a $10,000,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest or conviction. This reward is in addition to the $50,000 currently offered by the FBI for information that leads to his arrest or extradition.
The FBI reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio authorized the $10 million reward under the Narcotics Rewards Program.
Andrew Clark, Wedding’s alleged partner in crime, was arrested last week while living in Mexico. According to federal officials, Clark was Wedding’s right hand man.
According to the FBI, “In September 2024, federal grand juries in Los Angeles returned an indictment superseding a previous one, which named 14 additional defendants and included, among other charges, a charge of attempted murder against Wedding and Clark.”
Federal prosecutors have said that if Wedding and Clark are convicted on all charges, they could be sentenced to a minimum of life imprisonment in federal prison for their respective charge of continuing criminal organization.
Anyone with any information about Wedding’s location is encouraged to contact the FBI by WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram on +1-424 495 0614. You can also submit an online tip or contact your local FBI office or the closest American Embassy or Consulate. Officials said that anyone calling with information will be treated confidentially.
