Former Olympic Snowboarder Arrested in Drug Probe

Law enforcement officials announced on Friday the arrest of Ryan Wedding, a 44-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder accused of leading a violent transnational drug trafficking organization. Wedding, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, had been a fugitive for nearly a decade and was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March.

Details of Wedding's capture remain limited, with authorities planning a news conference later Friday morning in Ontario, California, to provide more information. Officials believe he had been hiding in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel and may have altered his appearance, including changing his hair color, to evade detection. A U.S. State Department reward of $15 million had been offered for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Wedding faces multiple felony charges in the United States, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, attempted murder, and involvement in several killings tied to his alleged criminal enterprise. Federal prosecutors say the organization imported approximately 60 metric tons of cocaine annually into the Los...