Former Olympic athlete Ryan Wedding, now turned drug baron, is being sought by the FBI as part of a cross-border drug smuggling operation. US officials have announced that a $10 million reward will be given to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest of the Olympic athlete. Wedding, identified as one of the top 10 most wanted fugitives in the US, is believed to be hiding in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel. Former Olympic athlete Ryan Wedding is wanted for his involvement in a multi-billion dollar cross-border drug smuggling operation and numerous murders.
US officials have announced that a $10 million reward will be given to those who provide information leading to the arrest of the former Canadian Olympic snowboard athlete. The Los Angeles police stated that Ryan Wedding, also known as “El Jefe”, “The Giant”, and “Public Enemy”, is wanted for his role in drug smuggling and numerous homicides.
Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a press release, “The increase in the reward clearly indicates that there is no safe place where Wedding can hide.” Identified as one of the top 10 most wanted fugitives in the US, Wedding is believed to be hiding in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Out of the 16 suspects being searched for by the police, only Wedding and one other person remain at large. The 43-year-old athlete, who grew up in Ontario, competed for the Canadian team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where he finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom event. Wedding was found guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced to four years in prison in 2010 after attempting to purchase cocaine from a US government agent.
The Los Angeles police claim that Wedding was transporting “five metric tons of fentanyl per month” to cities in the US and Canada.