Ryan Wedding, ex-Olympian-turned drug kingpin, added to FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list

LOS ANGELES - U.S. authorities have announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Ryan Wedding, a Canadian ex-Olympic snowboarder who is accused of leading a massive cross-border drug trafficking operation that worked with Mexican cartels and ordered multiple murders in Ontario, Canada.

What we know:

Wedding has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The announcement was made by Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, during a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Wedding, whose aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King," is accused of running a network that trafficked cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other U.S. locations.  

He is also charged with orchestrating multiple murders related to these drug crimes. 

The U.S. Department of State is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest, supplementing the FBI’s $50,000 reward.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Former Olympic snowboarder one of 16 charged with drug trafficking, murder in LA

The backstory:

Wedding, born in Thunder Bay, Canada, competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics. 

He and his second-in-command, Andrew Clark, were indicted in June 2024 for running a criminal enterprise and committing murder in connection with drug trafficking. Clark was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. last October.

Prosecutors allege that Wedding, Clark and others orchestrated shipments of cocaine that often weighed hundreds of pounds from Southern California to Canada between January and August 2024.

The cocaine shipments were sent from Mexico to Los Angeles, where they were stored in "stash houses," then delivered to couriers for transportation to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Dig deeper:

Prosecutors contend that Wedding and Clark ordered the November 2023 murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. Another member of that family survived the shooting but was left with serious physical injuries, according to court documents.

It's also alleged that Wedding and Clark also ordered the murder of another victim in May over a drug debt. 

Clark and Malik Damion Cunningham, 23, a resident of Canada, are charged with the April 1 murder of another victim in Ontario, Canada.

Wedding is charged with eight federal felonies: two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and one count of attempt to commit murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, according to the indictment.

During the investigation, more than one ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 in United States currency, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency were seized, officials said.

What they're saying:

"Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada," said Davis. "The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man."

"Trump's administration is committed to protecting American communities from us who have clear consciences, deliberately peddle illicit narcotics and prey on our youth," said Cart Weiland, the senior bureau official for the United States Department of State International Bureau Matters. "The Department of State, through its general international narcotics and law enforcement, I know, will continue to provide tools to combat transnational crime around the globe. We will continue to support the FBI, the government of Mexico, and the Government of Canada in the fight against narcotics trafficking," he added.

"Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in cocaine from Mexico, ultimately came into the United States and Canada. The organization is violent, responsible for deaths, as part of its criminal operations," said Joseph McNally, Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

Local perspective:

Alan Hamilton, Chief of Detectives at Los Angeles Police Department, further discussed Wedding's connection to Los Angeles.

"Wedding and his organization use Los Angeles as the primary hub for their narcotics operations. An estimated 60 metric tons of cocaine per year and five metric tons of fentanyl per month move through Los Angeles on its way to U.S. and Canadian cities. His criminal enterprise leveraged Los Angeles transportation corridors to distribute staggering quantities of illicit drugs devastated communities across the country," he said.

"To our Angelenos, to the public, to our community members here in the city of Los Angeles, you have our commitment that we will not allow transnational, organized criminals to utilize Los Angeles as transshipment points for any type of criminal activity," he added. 

"Our message to drug traffickers and violent offenders is clear. Los Angeles will not be a safe haven for your operations. We will find you, disrupt your networks and bring you to justice. And we will do that in conjunction with our partners here in the Los Angeles region, throughout the county, throughout the state, our federal partners and international partners to bring you to justice."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other international law enforcement agencies are collaborating to bring Wedding to justice. 

"It’s imperative that Ryan Wedding faces justice for the charges against him," said Liam Price, Director General of the RCMP International program.

What you can do:

If you have any information on Wedding, you can contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram at (424) 495-0614. You can also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Wedding is believed to be in Mexico but could be in other countries, including the U.S., Canada, or Colombia.

Authorities said it is possible for Wedding's weight to have fluctuated, or his appearance altered, all of which are normal in fugitive investigations. 

What's next:

A May 7 trial is scheduled for the defendants who are in custody in Los Angeles.

If convicted, Wedding and Clark would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on their respective continuing criminal enterprise charge. The murder and attempted murder charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The drug trafficking charges carry mandatory minimum penalties of 10 to 15 years in prison.

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