Ryan Wedding, now 44, once represented Canada on the world stage as an elite snowboarder. By his early twenties, he had competed in the Olympics and stood among the country’s top athletes. But within a few years of leaving competitive sports, federal authorities say his life took a sharp and irreversible turn.
What followed, according to prosecutors, was a slow descent from post-Olympic obscurity into international drug trafficking, violence, and eventually a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Here is how that transformation allegedly unfolded.
Early success and Olympic promise
Feb. 27, 1999
Wedding wins a bronze medal in the men’s parallel giant slalom at the Junior World Championships, marking him as one of Canada’s rising snowboarding talents.
March 8, 2001
He earns a silver medal at the Junior World Championships, reinforcing his status as a serious Olympic contender.
Feb. 14, 2002
Wedding competes for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom. While not a podium finish, it caps a successful athletic career that few ever reach.
Life after sports and a difficult transition
After the Olympics, Wedding fades from public view. Like many athletes whose competitive careers end early, he faces the reality of starting over without the structure, recognition, or income that once defined his life. Prosecutors say this period marks a turning point.
By the mid-2000s, authorities allege Wedding had become connected to drug trafficking circles operating between Canada and the United States.
First arrest and prison sentence
June 13, 2008
Wedding is arrested in San Diego and charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Court records state he and two others attempted to purchase 24 kilograms of cocaine from what they believed was a supplier but was actually an FBI source. The case ties him to a Vancouver-based trafficking operation.
Nov. 30, 2009
A jury convicts Wedding of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
May 28, 2010
He is sentenced to 48 months in federal prison.
Dec. 7, 2011
Wedding is released from U.S. prison. Prosecutors later argue that instead of disengaging from crime, he used his time after release to build connections, refine methods, and expand ambitions.
Alleged rise to organized crime leadership
Following his release, Wedding disappears from legitimate public life. U.S. and Canadian authorities allege he relocated operations abroad, eventually embedding himself within major cartel networks.
Investigators claim he adopted aliases, relied on cartel protection, and used cryptocurrency to move profits while insulating himself from direct exposure.
Canadian authorities issue warrants for his arrest on charges related to cocaine importation and trafficking.
Escalation into violence
Nov. 20, 2023
Prosecutors allege Wedding ordered a retaliatory killing after believing 300 kilograms of cocaine had been stolen. Instead, an assassin crew mistakenly targets the wrong home in Ontario. Two parents are killed in front of their daughter, who survives despite being shot multiple times.
Authorities describe this incident as a major escalation, showing the enterprise was willing to use extreme violence even at the cost of innocent lives.
April 1, 2024
Another individual is allegedly killed in Ontario at the direction of members of the organization.
May 18, 2024
A further killing allegedly occurs over an unpaid drug debt, again tied to Wedding and his second-in-command, Andrew Clark.
Federal crackdown and widening indictments
June 18, 2024
A sealed federal indictment is filed in Los Angeles, charging Wedding and Clark with running a criminal enterprise, murder in support of that enterprise, and large-scale cocaine trafficking.
Sept. 17, 2024
A superseding indictment expands the case to 16 counts and names 16 defendants. Prosecutors allege the organization shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico through Southern California and into Canada using stash houses and long-haul trucks.
Authorities say the group generated billions of dollars, much of it moved through cryptocurrency.
Alleged witness murder and international manhunt
Oct. 17, 2024
Clark is arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States. Prosecutors allege Wedding was advised that eliminating a federal witness could derail the case. They say he responded by placing a multimillion-dollar bounty on the witness.
Jan. 31, 2025
The witness is murdered in a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia. Prosecutors allege Wedding facilitated a large payment afterward to conspirators involved in the killing.
March 6, 2025
Wedding is added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, with a reward eventually raised to $15 million.
Asset seizures and final arrest
Dec. 24, 2025
Mexican authorities seize luxury motorcycles, vehicles, artwork, drugs, and Olympic memorabilia tied to Wedding. Officials estimate the motorcycles alone may be worth tens of millions of dollars.
Jan. 22, 2026
Wedding is taken into custody in Mexico, ending more than a decade on the run.
A cautionary arc
Prosecutors say Wedding’s story reflects a familiar but extreme pattern: early fame, loss of identity after sports, initial criminal involvement, and eventual immersion in organized crime. What began as a promising athletic career, they argue, ended in a trail of violence, victims, and international charges that span three countries.
Wedding remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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