Former Olympian Indicted for Murder, Drug Trafficking

U.S. authorities unsealed an indictment on November 19, 2025, charging Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, with murder, money laundering, drug trafficking, and leading a transnational criminal enterprise. The announcement, made in Washington, D.C., by Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme, placed Wedding on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and increased the reward for information leading to his arrest to $15 million.

Wedding, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and finished 24th in parallel giant slalom, is accused of overseeing one of the world's largest cocaine distribution networks. Prosecutors allege he imports about 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into the United States and Canada, primarily through semi-trucks crossing from Mexico into Southern California, generating an estimated $1 billion in revenue each year. Officials say his operation collaborates closely with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, extending influence across North America and contributing to the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into U.S. communities.