Former Olympian, alleged drug kingpin, Ryan Wedding captured in Mexico

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who became one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, has been arrested, confirmed sources.

The 44-year-old was added to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list in March 2025, with a $14 million reward for his capture.

He faces a sprawling indictment that accuses him of leading a transnational criminal enterprise that imported about 60 metric tons of cocaine into the United States each year, earning more than $1 billion in illegal profits.

Authorities stated that his drug operation stretched across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Colombia. 

Wedding is charged with orchestrating multiple murders. The most notable among them is the killing of a federal witness in Colombia in January 2025.

Prosecutors claim that he put a price on the life of the witness, believing that his murder would stop the trial.

The individual, who was an athlete in the 2002 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a Canadian team, reportedly led a life that drew parallels to notorious drug kingpins like Pablo Escobar and Joaquin “El Chapo" on the part of the FBI Director, Kash Patel. He was believed to have been in hiding in Mexico under the cartel’s umbrella, led by the Sinaloa cartel.

Officials are expected to provide further details via a news conference on Friday.