Olympic Snowboarder ARRESTED – Cocaine Empire EXPOSED

A former Olympic snowboarder who represented Canada on the world’s biggest winter sports stage has been arrested after allegedly building one of the most violent and prolific cocaine trafficking organizations ever investigated by federal authorities.

At a Glance

Ryan Wedding, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, was arrested on January 23, 2026, after years as a fugitive wanted since 2015
Wedding allegedly operated a transnational drug trafficking organization importing approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into Los Angeles using semitrucks from Mexico
The FBI placed Wedding on its Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025 with a $15 million reward, among the highest bounties ever offered for a Canadian-tied fugitive
Federal authorities compare Wedding’s operation to notorious cartel leaders Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in terms of scale and violence

From Powder to Narcotics: The Olympic Athlete’s Fall

Ryan Wedding’s trajectory from international athlete to alleged drug kingpin represents one of the most dramatic transformations in recent law enforcement history. In 2002, Wedding represented Canada in snowboarding at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, competing at the pinnacle of his sport. The exact timeline of his transition into organized crime remains unclear, but investigators indicate the shift occurred after his athletic career ended. By 2015, Wedding had become a fugitive wanted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, marking the beginning of an eleven-year manhunt across multiple jurisdictions.

Building a Cocaine Pipeline Worth Billions

Wedding allegedly constructed a sophisticated drug trafficking organization capable of moving staggering quantities of cocaine across the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal authorities claim the organization imported approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into the Los Angeles area through a network of semitrucks operating out of Mexico. This volume would represent hundreds of millions of dollars in street value annually. The operation demonstrated operational sophistication, utilizing commercial transportation infrastructure to move product across international borders while evading detection for over a decade.

The organization allegedly engaged in violence to protect its interests and enforce discipline within its ranks. In November 2025, federal prosecutors announced new indictments accusing Wedding of ordering the murder of a federal witness who threatened to testify against him. The alleged involvement of Wedding’s own attorney, Deepak Paradkar, in advising him to have the witness killed suggests the conspiracy reached into his inner circle of trusted advisors and legal representation.

The International Manhunt That Led to Arrest

The capture of Wedding represented a coordinated effort spanning three nations and multiple law enforcement agencies. In March 2025, the FBI elevated Wedding to its Ten Most Wanted list and offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest, one of the highest bounties ever offered for a fugitive with Canadian ties. This extraordinary bounty reflected federal authorities’ assessment of the threat Wedding posed and the significance of dismantling his organization. Mexican authorities conducted coordinated raids on four properties allegedly connected to Wedding in December 2025, seizing high-priced items and gathering intelligence that contributed to his eventual capture.

Wedding’s arrest on January 23, 2026, concluded the decade-long fugitive status that had made him one of North America’s most wanted criminals. FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly compared Wedding’s operation to the cartels run by history’s most notorious drug lords, citing the volume of narcotics moved and the violence associated with the organization. The arrest represented a significant victory for international law enforcement cooperation and border security efforts.

Broader Implications for Transnational Crime

The Wedding case illuminates vulnerabilities in commercial trucking infrastructure that criminal organizations exploit to move contraband across the U.S.-Mexico border. The operation’s scale and sophistication suggest that law enforcement agencies face evolving challenges in detecting and disrupting major trafficking networks. The involvement of a Canadian citizen operating a sophisticated organization with Mexican operations highlights how transnational organized crime transcends traditional geographic boundaries and requires coordinated international response mechanisms.

The arrest of seven Canadian associates, including Wedding’s attorney Deepak Paradkar, in November 2025 indicates that the dismantling of the organization extends beyond Wedding himself. These coordinated arrests suggest that federal authorities have developed sufficient evidence to pursue conspiracy charges against multiple members of the organization, potentially disrupting the network’s operational capacity for years to come. The case demonstrates how high-profile fugitives operating across multiple jurisdictions can eventually be apprehended through sustained investigative effort and international cooperation.

Wedding’s capture marks a turning point in the investigation of one of North America’s largest cocaine trafficking operations. The combination of athletic achievement in his youth and alleged criminal enterprise in his later years presents a stark contrast that underscores how individual choices can lead to radically different life trajectories. As federal prosecutors prepare their case against Wedding and his associates, the organization he allegedly built faces potential collapse, potentially disrupting cocaine supplies to major U.S. markets and demonstrating that even the most sophisticated criminal enterprises eventually face accountability.