“Currently, he is the largest cocaine distributor in Canada. Wedding works closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, to flood not only the United States but also Canada with cocaine that comes from Colombia. His organization is responsible for importing approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into Los Angeles through trucks coming from Mexico,” Bondi said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Officials reported that, as a result of the ongoing investigation, more than 35 people have been charged. Two hundred kilos of drugs and various weapons have been seized. Approximately 32 million dollars in cryptocurrency have been recovered, and more than 13 million in physical assets have been confiscated.
The prosecutor also recalled that Wedding is accused of murdering a federal witness after an indictment in 2024. This witness was killed in a restaurant in Medellín before he could testify against Wedding.
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Because of this, a new indictment was presented today. “We are charging him with two counts, two additional charges: witness tampering, intimidation, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. This new indictment also includes other individuals involved in the witness’s murder and other crimes connected to this criminal enterprise,” added the U.S. prosecutor.
Links Between the Former Athlete and the Sinaloa Cartel
According to the Department of State, “Wedding and several accomplices were also charged for their participation in the January 2025 murder of a U.S. federal witness in Colombia.”
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According to the indictments, “between January and August 2024, Wedding and others allegedly conspired to send large quantities of cocaine — weighing hundreds of kilograms — from Southern California to Canada through a Canada-based drug-trafficking network operated by accomplices in Ontario.”
“Wedding’s organization also allegedly committed acts of violence and killings to achieve its goals.”
Authorities stated that they believe Wedding is residing in Mexico and is under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Who Is Ryan Wedding?
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, 43, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March of this year, according to Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, during a press conference in Westwood.
Ryan Wedding, whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King,” was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, and competed in the Giant Slalom snowboard event during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The FBI reported that the former Olympic athlete is wanted for leading a transnational drug-trafficking organization and ordering several murders. The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to 10 million dollars for his capture.
Currently, Wedding is wanted for allegedly leading a transnational drug-trafficking network that routinely sent hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other parts of the United States, and for orchestrating several murders and an attempted murder in connection with these drug-trafficking crimes.
VGB