Former Canadian Olympic Snowboarder and FBI Fugitive Ryan Wedding Captured in Mexico
Ryan Wedding, a 44-year-old former Olympic snowboarder from Canada who had been one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, has been apprehended in Mexico, according to top U.S. Justice Department officials. The arrest concludes an extensive international manhunt for Wedding, who faces serious charges including multinational drug trafficking and involvement in the killing of a federal witness.
Details of the Arrest and Charges
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Wedding's capture through social media announcements on Friday. Patel indicated that Wedding was taken into custody on Thursday night in Mexico and is currently being transported back to the United States to face justice. Authorities believe the former Olympian had been evading capture in Mexico for over a decade.
"This is a huge day for a safer North America, and the world," Patel stated in a post on the social platform X. "And a message that those who break our laws and harm our citizens will be brought to justice."
Patel is scheduled to hold a news conference later on Friday in California to provide further details about the arrest and the ongoing investigation.
Background on the Fugitive and Criminal Allegations
Wedding, who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom snowboarding event, has a lengthy criminal history. He was previously convicted in the United States in 2010 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and served a prison sentence. However, federal prosecutors allege that after his release, Wedding resumed drug trafficking activities under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
In 2024, Wedding was formally charged with operating a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that utilized semitrucks to transport cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California, and Canada. Authorities have linked him to several aliases, including "El Jefe," "Public Enemy," and "James Conrad Kin."
Additionally, in November 2024, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Wedding had been indicted for orchestrating the murder of a witness in Colombia. This killing was allegedly intended to prevent the witness's testimony that could have led to Wedding's extradition to the United States. Authorities claim that Wedding and his co-conspirators used a Canadian website called "The Dirty News" to post a photograph of the witness, facilitating his identification and subsequent execution in a Medellín restaurant in January.
International Cooperation and Reward
Wedding had been prominently featured on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, with authorities offering a substantial $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. His capture involved significant international cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies.
Mexico's Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, disclosed on X that Patel had conducted meetings in Mexico on Thursday and departed on Friday with two detainees. These individuals included a Canadian citizen who surrendered at the U.S. embassy and another person who was among the FBI's most-wanted list and had been detained by Mexican authorities. A member of Mexico's Security Cabinet, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, informed The Associated Press that Wedding was the Canadian citizen who turned himself in.
Wedding also faces separate drug trafficking charges in Canada that date back to 2015, as confirmed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The arrest marks a critical development in multiple international investigations targeting transnational crime networks.
