Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged international drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the United States after years on the run, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Wedding, 44, had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is accused of masterminding a transnational drug trafficking network that moved massive quantities of cocaine across international borders.
He was also wanted in connection with multiple murder cases, with US authorities previously alleging that he lived in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Speaking on Friday, the head of Canada’s federal police, Mike Duheme, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, praised the joint operation that led to Wedding’s arrest.
“No single agency or nation can combat transnational organised crime alone,” Duheme said, adding that “we can finally say that our communities, our countries, are much safer with the arrest of Ryan Wedding.”
Wedding is expected to make his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Monday. US authorities allege that he led a vast drug trafficking empire responsible for importing about 60 metric tonnes of cocaine annually.
The operation reportedly spanned North America, parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, and was described as the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada, generating an estimated $1 billion each year.
Before his arrest, Wedding was accused of murdering a federal witness in a case against him, with officials also alleging that he ordered the killings of several other individuals. He now faces multiple felony charges, including murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, witness tampering and intimidation.
The FBI had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture, though Patel declined to say whether anyone would claim the money. Authorities have released limited details about the arrest, confirming only that Wedding was taken into custody on Thursday night in Mexico City.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar García Harfuch, said Patel visited Mexico City on Thursday and departed with two fugitives from the FBI’s most wanted list. While Harfuch did not name them, he said one was a “Canadian citizen who voluntarily surrendered” at the US embassy.
The Associated Press, citing a Mexican Security Cabinet source, identified Wedding as the individual who turned himself in.
At a news conference, Patel described Wedding as a “modern-day Pablo Escobar,” drawing comparisons with both the late Colombian cartel leader and Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
“When you go after a guy like Ryan Wedding, it takes a united front,” Patel said, thanking Canadian and Mexican authorities for their cooperation. He also commended the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, which took part in the operation.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Patel described the arrest as a high-risk mission with no room for mistakes, saying he witnessed “extraordinary teamwork, precision, and trust” among US and Mexican agents.
According to the FBI, Wedding used several aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King,” and reportedly underwent plastic surgery to alter his appearance while evading capture.
Authorities allege that Wedding built his criminal network after his release from a US federal prison in 2011, where he had been serving a sentence for cocaine distribution. Investigators claim he ordered dozens of murders across the US, Canada and Latin America and lived lavishly in Mexico.
In December, Mexican authorities said they seized $40 million worth of racing motorcycles allegedly owned by Wedding, alongside luxury artwork, drugs and two Olympic gold medals.
The ownership of the medals remains unclear, as Wedding competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City but did not win any medals, finishing 24th in the men’s giant parallel slalom event.
In November, the FBI also seized his rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR, reportedly valued at $13 million.
Patel additionally confirmed the arrest of another fugitive, American citizen Alejandro Castillo, who had been wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Castillo, who allegedly hid in Mexico for nearly a decade, will also be extradited to the US to face trial in North Carolina.
What you should know
Ryan Wedding’s arrest marks a major breakthrough in international law enforcement cooperation involving the US, Canada and Mexico.
Once an Olympic athlete, Wedding is now accused of running one of the largest cocaine trafficking operations in North America, with links to violent crimes across several countries. His case highlights how transnational organised crime networks operate across borders and the importance of coordinated intelligence-sharing.
The extradition proceedings and upcoming trial in the US could expose further details about his alleged cartel connections, financial networks and the scale of criminal activities attributed to him.
