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10 ways ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding has evaded arrest for 10 years
10 ways ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding has evaded arrest for 10 years

CBC

time6 days ago

  • CBC

10 ways ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding has evaded arrest for 10 years

Once a Team Canada Olympic snowboarder, Ryan James Wedding has spent more than 10 years on the run from authorities, while allegedly leading a murderous, transnational drug-smuggling empire. Listed as one of the FBI's ten most-wanted fugitives since March, the U.S. State Department is offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to his arrest. So, how has Wedding, 43, evaded capture for so long? CBC News has spoken with current and former investigators and reviewed court files and public statements by authorities. What emerges is a multi-faceted strategy involving technology, money and high-level connections that appears to have allowed Wedding to consistently remain one step ahead of U.S. and Canadian authorities. Who is Ryan Wedding? Born into a skiing family in Thunder Bay, Ont., Wedding later moved to Coquitlam, B.C., and appeared destined for a promising career in snowboarding, reaching the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah. But he soon embarked on a much different career path. Arrested in a sting operation after he flew to California to buy cocaine in June 2008, Wedding spent more than three years in U.S. prisons. Sometime after his release, he moved to Montreal, where he was charged by the RCMP in April 2015 as part of a large-scale operation targeting cocaine imports to Canada. On the run since then, authorities say he relocated to Mexico and now sends mass shipments of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine across North America. 1. Cartel connections Wedding's biggest asset may be his connections to Mexico's merciless drug cartels, which the U.S. and Canada consider terrorist organizations. According to the FBI, Wedding may be living under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, once led by drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. "Wedding, who is wealthy, is dangerous and has connections in very high places," said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office. The Sinaloa cartel dominates large swaths of northern and southern Mexico, and has a presence in almost every other part of the country, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, the group has been beset by deadly infighting over the past year, with the cartel split into two main, warring factions: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. The RCMP declined to say whether Wedding is aligned with either branch. "We have a pretty strong sense of his linkages within transnational organized crime," said the RCMP's director general of international special services, Liam Price. "I wouldn't want to talk publicly about it, lest it show what we know, and how we know it." Wedding may also benefit from ties with the Sinaloa cartel's main competitor, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish initials, CJNG. Fellow Canadian Andrew Clark — described by U.S. prosecutors as Wedding's second-in-command — was arrested last year in Mexico's Jalisco state. Mexican authorities said Clark acted as a liaison, working with both CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel. 2. Getting tipped off Mexican cartels have been known to use cash and the threat of violence to control government officials. El Chapo's personal aide even claimed the ex-kingpin once bribed Mexico's then-president Enrique Peña Nieto to call off a manhunt. Wedding may be using the same playbook. "Any time that we've gotten close, he can rely on those people watching out for him, to alert him in advance," F. Cartwright Weiland, a senior U.S. State Department official told CBC News. Weiland, who leads the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, recently called on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to personally intervene and ensure Wedding's arrest. It's unclear whether authorities have learned of Wedding's exact whereabouts since he was spotted by the FBI in Mexico City in 2024. "We're getting closer," Weiland said. "But I think the story thus far has been one in which those two facets of society — the cartels and government officials — are working in tandem, to allow for him to evade capture." 3. Global allies Prosecutors have also acknowledged he could be almost anywhere beyond Mexico. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, investigators "have not ruled out his presence in the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere." What's more, the Mounties have said Wedding's network shipped drugs not only across North America, but "overseas" as well, raising the prospect he may have allies even farther afield. Indeed, court filings by U.S. prosecutors suggest one of Wedding's co-defendants, fellow Canadian Gurpreet Singh, has connections in Dubai, including to members of the Kinahan gang. A notorious drug cartel founded by Irishman Christy Kinahan in the 1990s, U.S. prosecutors describe it as "a well-known, violent organized crime group operating throughout the world." 4. Fear and violence Witnesses would be forgiven for thinking twice before speaking to authorities. Prosecutors have described Wedding's network as hellbent on eliminating enemies would-be informants — even targeting the families of perceived rivals. Indeed, the Toronto Star reported that U.S. prosecutors' key witness — a Canadian-Colombian longtime Wedding associate — was gunned down in broad daylight in Medellín, Colombia, on Jan. 31. Likewise, an indictment unsealed last year in California outlines how Wedding allegedly ordered co-defendant Nahim Jorge Bonilla to repay a cocaine debt, or else his mother would be killed. Investigators have publicly linked the network to four murders in Ontario, including the mistaken-identity shootings of a couple visiting from India. Authorities have also suggested the group ordered multiple other killings. "All of these victims were intentionally shot execution-style, so that their loved ones could see them murdered," former U.S. attorney Martin Estrada said. According to court documents, Wedding's top lieutenant, Clark, provided a Toronto-based hitman last year with a motley list of targets, including a Niagara Falls, Ont., drug trafficker, "a realtor in Van," "some Arabs" and "'a Mexi' who owned a restaurant and his wife." What's more, prosecutors warned Wedding likely still has access to a "network of hitmen" while on the run. 5. Insulated by accomplices A federal grand jury indictment unsealed in Los Angeles last year describes the inner workings of a sprawling criminal operation involving Wedding, Clark and 14 other co-defendants, including drug smugglers and the alleged contract killer known as "Mr. Perfect." Estrada said the network would source their product from "cocaine kitchens" in Colombia, then move the drugs to Southern California stash houses, via Mexico. Big rig drivers would then deliver the cocaine — an estimated 60 tonnes a year — to U.S. and Canadian cities. Wedding "tried to insulate himself from a lot of this criminal activity," Estrada said at a news conference last year. "It took a great deal of investigative effort to actually trace all of these acts to him personally." If Wedding is ever arrested, he faces eight felony charges in California, including murder, leading a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to export cocaine. WATCH | FBI discusses search for Wedding: Alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding believed to be in Mexico, FBI says 4 months ago Duration 0:35 Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said Thursday that law enforcement officials believe the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is in Mexico, possibly under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel, though he noted investigators have not ruled out that Wedding may be elsewhere. 6. Money laundering and cryptocurrency Wedding's network, said to have made $1 billion US a year, allegedly hides its money by using multiple cryptocurrency wallets, making it harder to follow. While the U.S. Attorney's Office said last fall that investigators had seized cocaine with a street value of roughly $25 million US, plus $255,400 US in cash, those amounts may only be a tiny fraction of the profits Wedding and his associates were pocketing. "Just on one day, we were able to see one of those crypto wallets and it contained $3 million [US]," Estrada said. "And that's just one of the wallets." He says investigators established that the Wedding organization laundered $250 million US through cryptocurrency between April and September 2024 alone. Of that amount, authorities only managed to seize about $3.2 million. Prior to his first arrest in 2008, Wedding had used the "cultural" money-laundering network of an Iranian-Canadian co-defendant to move $100,000 for a cocaine purchase, according to evidence at trial. "Obviously," Wedding said of the drug money on an FBI recording, "I didn't put it in my f-cking suitcase." 7. Aliases The U.S. indictment unsealed last October lists no fewer than 18 aliases for the six-foot, three-inch Wedding, including Giant, Grande, Buddy, El Jefe ("The Boss"), El Toro ("The Bull"), James Conrad King and Jesse King. Authorities have not said how they became aware of some of the aliases. But court records suggest Wedding and his associates all used aliases while communicating on the encrypted messaging app Threema. According to the indictment, Clark's listed aliases include "The Dictator" and "El Niño Problemático" ("The Problem Child.") Wedding also went by "Public Enemy" or simply "PE." "'Public Enemy' suggests that… he loves the fact that he's been able to get away with his crimes,"' Weiland, of the U.S. State Department, said. 8. Encryption Encrypted messaging has for years been a hallmark of Wedding's alleged criminal operations. A decade ago, RCMP found Wedding's co-accused — in the case targeting cocaine imports to Canada — were strictly communicating face to face, or via encrypted BlackBerry chats. They used an off-shore server beyond the reach of police, according to court documents. Wedding and his associates are now said to prefer Threema. The Switzerland-based app boasts its "users can communicate freely without worrying about their privacy or security." So the FBI instead struck a deal with a longtime drug trafficker — who'd previously worked with Wedding — to help infiltrate their Threema communications. Prosecutors underlined in a court filing earlier this year how such apps remain a simple and crucial tool to the network. "Wedding needs no more than access to encrypted communications to continue to accomplish these ends," assistant U.S. attorneys Maria Jhai and Lyndsi Allsop wrote. WATCH | From Olympian to fugitive: Ryan Wedding's path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive 4 months ago Duration 6:03 Ryan Wedding once represented Canada as an Olympic snowboarder; now he's accused of being a drug kingpin and is on the FBI's most wanted list — with a $10 million US reward being offered for information leading to his arrest. CBC's Thomas Daigle traces his shocking path from the top of the slopes to the underworld. 9. 'Greed-driven' confidence When FBI Supervisory Special Agent Brett Kalina arrested Wedding outside a Hampton Inn in San Diego in 2008, he said the Canadian didn't act kind and innocent as suspects usually do. "Wedding was the opposite," Kalina recounted in an interview, and showed overwhelming confidence in himself. "More than any person that I've ever dealt with after arresting, he wanted to assert his dominance over everybody around him." Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the DEA's L.A. division, described the Wedding as "unremitting, callous and greed-driven." Kalina said Wedding made deep underworld connections while behind bars in the U.S. But when it came time for him to address the judge in May 2010 after his drug conviction, a trial transcript shows Wedding pleaded for a lenient sentence and a "second chance." "Your Honour," Wedding said, "what I did was completely out of character for me, and it is a personal mission of mine to rebuild my reputation." The judge handed him a four-year sentence — a shorter term than he had previously considered. Even the prosecutor assured him, "Mr. Wedding's not a kingpin... he is a person who was trying to break into the drug trade, and it didn't work out." 10. Changing his looks Since the FBI announced last fall it was hunting Wedding, the agency released three pictures of the fugitive in which he sports very different looks. The first, taken from a 2013 Canadian driver's licence, shows him with a slimmer build and long, curly hair — seemingly balding on top. In the two more recent pictures — both taken somewhere, sometime in 2024 — the long hair has been cut short, while Wedding appears bulkier. "It's possible for Wedding's weight to have fluctuated or him to have altered his appearance a little bit, which is normal in fugitive investigations," said Davis, of the FBI's L.A. office "Our chances of catching him with the public support remain very high."

Record Toronto-area drug bust may be linked to fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding
Record Toronto-area drug bust may be linked to fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding

CBC

time18-06-2025

  • CBC

Record Toronto-area drug bust may be linked to fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding

A recent record-setting $50-million cocaine seizure by police in the Toronto area may be connected to former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged crime boss Ryan Wedding, a CBC News investigation has found. Peel Regional Police said last week the cocaine bust – the biggest such seizure in the agency's history – came after investigators discovered a criminal network exploiting commercial trucking routes to move drugs across the U.S. border into Canada. The smuggling routes outlined by police mirror those that U.S. prosecutors have linked to the murderous drug ring allegedly led by Wedding, one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives. The network is accused of routinely shipping tons of Colombian cocaine from Mexico to U.S. and Canadian destinations. "The likelihood of what's happening here in Peel being traced back to an organization like that is very high," Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told CBC. He said it's "very likely" Wedding's network remains active in the suburban area west of Toronto, a key logistics hub for central Canada. Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is believed to be living in Mexico under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa cartel. He was among 16 men charged last year in a U.S. federal indictment that sought to dismantle what U.S. authorities called the "Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization." According to U.S. prosecutors, Wedding's network used semi trucks as its primary means of transporting drugs across North America. Two men arrested last fall in Toronto are accused of orchestrating cocaine shipments to Canada for a flat rate of $220,000 each. Hardeep Ratte and his nephew Gurpreet Singh both remain in custody and face extradition to the U.S. Wedding's top lieutenant, fellow Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last year and later transferred to U.S. custody. Still, U.S. prosecutors said earlier this year that Wedding, 43, "continues to traffic drugs while in hiding" and warned he still has access to a "network of hitmen." The RCMP also recently confirmed to CBC "elements of his network" remain in place in Canada. Wedding and Clark face murder charges tied to four deaths in Ontario, including an "execution-style" shooting over a drug debt, and the mistaken-identity killings of a couple visiting from India. Cocaine seized at the border According to Peel police, Canadian border agents earlier this year intercepted a combined 177 kilograms of cocaine hidden in trailers of commercial trucks at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, and the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia. Both spans link Ontario to Michigan. Public records from a separate case in U.S. federal court in Michigan show Wedding's $1-billion US network used the exact same scheme. Two Ontario men – both indicted as members of Wedding's drug ring – concealed cocaine in hidden truck compartments last August as they attempted to cross the Blue Water Bridge toward Canada, according to the court files. As for the recent record-setting drug bust in Peel Region, police said they seized a total of 479 kilograms of bricked cocaine, with an estimated street value of $47.9 million, plus two loaded handguns. Police said the drugs were destined for the Toronto area and other parts of Canada. Nine men were arrested and charged with a combined 35 charges related to firearm and drug offences, police said. "This investigation is still ongoing on our U.S. partners' side, to work back where the networks originate," Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said. Peel police said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations are both involved in the case, dubbed Project Pelican. Neither agency responded to requests for comment. The seizures come as an "unprecedented" 6,000 kilograms of cocaine have poured into Canada since last fall, according to Ontario Provincial Police. Ryan Wedding's path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive 3 months ago Duration 6:03 Ryan Wedding once represented Canada as an Olympic snowboarder; now he's accused of being a drug kingpin and is on the FBI's most wanted list — with a $10 million US reward being offered for information leading to his arrest. CBC's Thomas Daigle traces his shocking path from the top of the slopes to the underworld. 'You're next,' U.S. official says of Wedding A senior U.S. official told CBC the public has been providing a steady flow of tips about Wedding's whereabouts, since the State Department began offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. F. Cartwright Weiland, who leads the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, said it appeared as though Wedding's connections to Mexican officials have helped him to evade capture. "Any time that we've gotten close, he can rely on those people watching out for him, to alert him in advance," Weiland said in an interview. "Ryan, we're getting tips every day. People are calling in," Weiland said, when asked if he has a message for the Thunder Bay, Ont.-born fugitive. "You're next, buddy."

Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP
Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP

CTV News

time07-06-2025

  • CTV News

Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP

Photos released by the FBI show Ryan James Wedding who is wanted on a number of charges. (FBI) The RCMP say they believe Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian accused of orchestrating a billion-dollar international drug-trafficking organization, still has a presence in Canada. 'There certainly are elements of his network that remain in place,' RCMP Central Region Chief Supt. Chris Leather told reporters on Friday during an unrelated news conference, when asked about the former snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin. 'I couldn't say much more than that at this time because of multiple ongoing investigations involving ourselves and our key policing partners, including Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police.' Police in Canada and the U.S. continue to search for Wedding, who is wanted on a number of charges in connection with their investigation into his alleged drug trafficking ring. The RCMP have said Wedding poses 'one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive.' In March, Wedding, who goes by the names 'Giant,' 'Public Enemy,' and 'El Jefe,' was added to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations' Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. There is a reward of US$10 million for anyone who can lead investigators to his arrest. At that time, officials said they believed the 2002 Winter Olympics athlete was still in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors alleged Wedding still had access to a 'network of hitmen' as they sought additional protections to keep the identities of confidential informants and cooperating witnesses in the case hidden. Wedding, along with his alleged 'second in command,' Canadian Andrew Clark, is also accused of directing four combined murders in Ontario in furtherance of their alleged drug empire. Their victims include an Indian couple who were shot and killed in Caledon in Nov. 2023, in what police said was a case of mistaken identity. With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras

Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP
Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP

CTV News

time06-06-2025

  • CTV News

Elements of ex-Olympian's drug network ‘remain in place' in Canada: RCMP

Photos released by the FBI show Ryan James Wedding who is wanted on a number of charges. (FBI) The RCMP say they believe Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian accused of orchestrating a billion-dollar international drug-trafficking organization, still has a presence in Canada. 'There certainly are elements of his network that remain in place,' RCMP Central Region Chief Supt. Chris Leather told reporters on Friday during an unrelated news conference, when asked about the former snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin. 'I couldn't say much more than that at this time because of multiple ongoing investigations involving ourselves and our key policing partners, including Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police.' Police in Canada and the U.S. continue to search for Wedding, who is wanted on a number of charges in connection with their investigation into his alleged drug trafficking ring. The RCMP have said Wedding poses 'one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive.' In March, Wedding, who goes by the names 'Giant,' 'Public Enemy,' and 'El Jefe,' was added to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations' Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. There is a reward of US$10 million for anyone who can lead investigators to his arrest. At that time, officials said they believed the 2002 Winter Olympics athlete was still in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors alleged Wedding still had access to a 'network of hitmen' as they sought additional protections to keep the identities of confidential informants and cooperating witnesses in the case hidden. Wedding, along with his alleged 'second in command,' Canadian Andrew Clark, is also accused of directing four combined murders in Ontario in furtherance of their alleged drug empire. Their victims include an Indian couple who were shot and killed in Caledon in Nov. 2023, in what police said was a case of mistaken identity. With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras

Fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding's drug ring still active in Canada, RCMP says
Fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding's drug ring still active in Canada, RCMP says

Yahoo

time06-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding's drug ring still active in Canada, RCMP says

The murderous drug-trafficking network allegedly run by former Team Canada Olympian Ryan Wedding remains active in Canada despite efforts to dismantle the cartel-linked group, the RCMP has confirmed to CBC News. Wedding was added this year to the FBI's list of ten most-wanted fugitives. He's accused of running a $1-billion US criminal enterprise that routinely shipped tonnes of fentanyl and cocaine throughout North America, and that has been linked to at least four killings in Ontario. "There certainly are elements of his network that remain in place," RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather said Friday, during an unrelated news conference at the Mounties' Ontario headquarters in London. Leather, the RCMP's officer in charge of criminal operations for the province, said Wedding's alleged drug-trafficking organization remains a target of "multiple ongoing investigations," involving the federal police agency, Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police. The Thunder Bay, Ont.-born Wedding competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games. Now 43, he's been on the run from the RCMP since 2015 when he faced charges related to a cocaine-importing conspiracy. Wedding was also indicted in California last fall, along with 15 alleged accomplices including nine fellow Canadians. He faces eight felony charges, including drug-trafficking offences and murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise that used stash houses to store drugs in the Los Angeles area. "The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man," Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's L.A. field office said in March. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $10-million US for information leading to his arrest. WATCH | From Olympian to fugitive: U.S. prosecutors have said Wedding is suspected of living in Mexico, under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel, once headed by notorious drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Authorities have also suggested he could be hiding out in Canada, the U.S., Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere. U.S. prosecutors have said Wedding continues to traffic drugs while in hiding. Liam Price, the RCMP's director general of international special services, said earlier this year Wedding "continues to pose one of the largest organized crime threats to Canada, even as a fugitive." Four of Wedding's co-defendants, who were arrested in Toronto last October, remain in custody in a local jail and face extradition to the U.S. His alleged right-hand man, fellow Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last fall and transferred to U.S. custody in February. The U.S. indictment unsealed last October lists 18 aliases for Wedding, including James Conrad King, Jesse King, El Jefe ("The Boss"), Public Enemy, Giant and Grande.

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