The former Olympian was added to the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitive list as he allegedly led a global drug business that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine to North America and ordered multiple murders.
Former Olympic snowboarder and Canadian National Ryan Wedding was added to the FBI’s most wanted list at a press conference at the Los Angeles Field Office on Thursday.
The 43-year-old’s wedding took part in the Winter Olympics held at Snowboard Slalom in 2002. In his post-athletic career, authorities say he began running a vast cocaine trafficking network that ships drugs from Colombia through Mexico and to Southern California and Canada, where it was distributed to cities across the continent.
While leading his operations, which included “Elgev”, “Giant”, and “Public Ainmi”, the Wedding ordered the murder of multiple people to protect the drug kingdom.
Ryan James Wedding, 43, Canadian national and former Olympic athletes are shown in this undated image provided by the FBI. The wedding is one of the 10 most wanted items in the FBI. Leans James Wedding, 43, Canadian national and former Olympic athletes are shown in this undated image provided by the FBI. The wedding is the 10 most wanted of the FBI, as seen in the photos provided by the FBI.
He ordered the murder of two families in 2023 over stolen drug transport in Ontario, Canada, federal authorities said. One of those victims survived the attack. Another hit was ordered in May 2024 to settle drug debt, officials said.
In June 2024, the wedding and his suspect, Andrew Clark, 34, was charged with continuing criminal enterprise operations in Los Angeles, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and multiple murders. Clark was arrested in Mexico last year and recently extradited to the US.
The indictment alleges that the wedding network moved large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to LA, where it was stored before being transported by truck to Canada. The drug group was accused of carrying out additional killings in Canada in April 2024, with Clark and another associates allegedly using violence to maintain control.
If convicted of a crime, weddings and Clarks could face a minimum life sentence in federal prison for criminal business charges, and could face a minimum of 20 years for each murder and attempted murder.
A spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Bureau called the wedding “tolerant, merciless and greedy driving.”
Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, described him as a “very dangerous man” who went from “to grinding powder on the slopes of the Olympics into distribution of powder cocaine on the streets.” Davis hopes that the wedding will include on the top 10 most wanted list will bring him to court without any additional blood spilling.
Images of former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, a fugitive who runs a cross-border drug trafficking business, are on display on a video monitor at a press conference at the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office on October 17, 2024.
According to the FBI, the wedding is about 6 feet 3 inches and weighs around 240 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and often has facial hair. He may also be known as “James Conrad King” or “Jesse King.”
Authorities believe he is currently in Mexico, but have not ruled out that he is currently in LAM in the US, Canada or Latin American countries.
The United States has granted a reward of up to $10 million for information on a major wedding capture or conviction. Law enforcement in Canada and Mexico is also helping him in the efforts to find him.
Tips can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov or at your local FBI office, the US embassy, or the consulate.
Wedding replaces Alexis Flores, who is on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list, but he is listed on the most wanted pages overall. Flores is being sought for alleged involvement in the 2000 invitation and murder of a 5-year-old Philadelphia girl.
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