The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has intensified its search for Ryan James Wedding after the U.S. Department of Justice announced new charges against him. The reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest has also been increased from $10 million to $15 million.
The former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is now being referred to as the modern-day “Pablo Escobar” due to his alleged role in cocaine trafficking.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Wedding has joined the notorious Sinaloa Cartel and is running one of the biggest drug trafficking organizations, adding, “He is hiding in Mexico.”
Mr Wedding was first charged with drug trafficking and three counts of murder in October 2024.
The case has gained significant attention as it has left behind a trail of murders. Bondi said that the former Olympian’s organisation smuggles nearly 60 metric tonnes of cocaine a year into the United States.
Wedding was previously charged with masterminding the murder of a federal witness in Columbia.
The FBI Director Kash Patel called Wedding “modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar”. He accused Wedding of engineering a “narco-trafficking and narco-terrorism program” that the world has not seen in a long time.
For context, Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel.