Ex-Canadian Olympic Snowboarder Turned Alleged Drug Kingpin Arrested in Mexico

A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who later became one of the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives was arrested in Mexico and is being brought to the United States to face serious federal charges, U.S. authorities said Friday. Ryan Wedding, 44, competed for Canada in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics before abandoning sport and allegedly building one of North America’s most extensive drug trafficking networks, prosecutors say.

Wedding was taken into custody Thursday in Mexico — where he is believed to have been hiding for more than a decade — and is being transported to the U.S. to face charges that include running a criminal enterprise and cocaine trafficking, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed. The 44-year-old had been on the agency’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” list for months, with authorities offering millions for information leading to his arrest.

Officials allege that Wedding worked with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, moving large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada, generating more than $1 billion per year in illegal proceeds, according to U.S. prosecutors. He also faces accusations related to ordering murders, including the killing of a federal witness in Colombia in 2025 to prevent testimony in the case against him.

The arrest is considered a major breakthrough in a long-running transnational criminal investigation. Law enforcement officials described Wedding’s arrest as a significant success for North American public safety and signal that those involved in violent, organized crime can be brought to justice regardless of how long they evade capture.