A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding, is facing grave legal challenges as he remains a fugitive wanted by authorities for his involvement in a vast drug trafficking network. On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Wedding has been hit with additional charges connected to the murder of a federal witness, an act allegedly orchestrated to evade extradition to the United States.
A federal indictment unsealed in California has revealed that ten other individuals have already been arrested in connection with this case. The indictment accuses Wedding of orchestrating the January assassination of the witness in Colombia, which he believed would protect him from facing justice in the U.S.
Authorities are now offering a staggering reward of up to $15 million for any information that leads to Wedding’s capture. He currently occupies a position on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list and is believed to reside in Mexico, allegedly under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, with whom he is accused of collaborating to smuggle large quantities of drugs into both Canada and the United States.
“Whether you are a street-level drug dealer or an international drug kingpin, we are coming for you,” Bondi emphasized during a press conference. “We will find you, and you will be held accountable for your crimes.”
Wedding, who has adopted numerous aliases including “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy,” was charged in 2024 with directing a drug operation that traffics an estimated 60 tons of cocaine annually, utilizing long-haul semitrucks to transport drugs from Colombia to Southern California and into Canada.
Investigators have revealed that Wedding and his associates used a Canadian website, “the Dirty News,” to post a photo of the witness, effectively placing a target on his back. Following the victim to a restaurant in Medellín in January, he was subsequently shot in the head.
“Wedding wrongly believed that by putting a bounty on this person’s head, he would be able to dismiss his own criminal charges and further shield himself from extradition,” stated Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California. “He was wrong.”
Additionally, the U.S. government is offering rewards of up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest of others involved in the witness’s murder, underscoring their commitment to pursuing justice in this high-profile case. The ongoing investigation highlights the broader implications of drug trafficking crimes and the lengths individuals will go to evade justice.