A former Olympic snowboarder once celebrated for his skill on the slopes has been hauled into custody after one of the most aggressive international manhunts in recent FBI history. Ryan Wedding, 44, vanished in early 2024. Authorities say he reemerged underground as a cartel-linked trafficker capable of moving staggering quantities of cocaine across the Western Hemisphere — and allegedly ordering hits with the ease of a seasoned mob boss.
Federal agents confirmed the capture late Thursday. Details remain sealed, but sources say Wedding was taken down in Mexico after months of surveillance. One federal source familiar with the arrest told us, “He wasn’t living like a man on the run. He was living like a man protected.”
Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He placed 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Friends say he struggled to find purpose after the Games. By the late 2000s, he had drifted into nightlife circles, eventually moving into the drug trade.
By 2024, investigators say he was no small-time operator. Federal indictments accuse him of helping ship roughly 60 metric tons of cocaine from Colombia into the U.S. and Canada — a drug supply large enough to destabilize entire regions. Prosecutors say he maintained ties to violent traffickers in Medellín and worked alongside factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
A retired DEA agent who once tracked cartel networks in Mexico told us, “Wedding didn’t just fall into this. He built a pipeline. And pipelines like that don’t survive unless you’re willing to get bloody.”
Wedding was indicted on eight felony counts last year, including three murders and one attempted murder. A November superseding indictment revealed a chilling detail: prosecutors say he ordered the execution of a federal cooperator who was preparing to testify.
The witness never made it to court. He was shot five times in the head at a restaurant in Medellín on January 31. Colombian investigators say the killers fled within minutes. “That hit was a message,” a Bogotá-based security analyst told us. “It showed Wedding had reach. And confidence.”
Authorities believe Wedding also ordered a double killing in Canada in 2023 over a stolen drug shipment that allegedly moved through California. One victim survived but was left with lifelong injuries.
Wedding was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in March 2024. The bureau posted a massive $15 million reward, one of the highest ever offered for a fugitive tied to North American organized crime.
FBI Director Kash Patel didn’t mince words last fall.
“Ryan Wedding imported poison into our communities,” Patel said. “He operated like El Chapo and thought he could hide behind cartel muscle. He was wrong.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that sentiment.
“We don’t stop,” Bondi said. “Not for borders. Not for cartels. Not for fugitives who believe their notoriety protects them.”
Officials are expected to release full details at a Friday press conference. Early reports suggest Mexican authorities worked closely with U.S. agents to corner Wedding at a safehouse used by cartel intermediaries. One official described the operation as “surgical,” with “no shots fired.”
A veteran U.S. Marshal involved in cross-border fugitive hunts told us, “Catching him wasn’t luck. It was patience. And he finally made a mistake.”
Wedding’s transformation from athlete to accused kingpin has stunned those who knew him. Former competitors remember him as driven and fearless. That drive, investigators say, fueled an empire instead of a sports career.
“His athletic discipline snowballed into something darker,” FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis previously said. “He went from conquering mountains to commanding a violent drug enterprise.”
If convicted, Wedding faces mandatory life in federal prison.
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