Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding, has been arrested in Mexico City, ending years on the run after allegedly transforming into the head of a violent, multi-billion-dollar drug-trafficking empire.
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Wedding was taken into custody Thursday night in Mexico City. Authorities allege that Wedding oversaw a sprawling narcotics operation linked to multiple murders across North America.
Police have previously said Wedding ordered at least four killings in Ontario to protect and advance his criminal enterprise.
His alleged deputy, Andrew Clark, was arrested in 2024. The Toronto native was extradited to the United States earlier this year and is now facing charges in California.
“He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco-trafficker in modern times. He is a modern day El Chapo. He is a modern day Pablo Escobar. And he thought he could evade justice,” Patel said during a Friday news conference held on the tarmac at Ontario International Airport east of Los Angeles.
“And here we are today, bringing him to justice for trafficking hundreds of kilos of cocaine and also for the murder of innocent civilians,” Patel added.
Before his arrest, Wedding was listed among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and was believed to be under the protection of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
U.S. authorities first publicly identified Wedding in a sweeping indictment unsealed in October 2024, alleging he masterminded an international drug network that moved cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States and Canada. Nine other Canadians were named in the indictment.
Mexico’s Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, said in a Friday post on X that Patel traveled to Mexico on Thursday and returned to the United States Friday morning with two “high-priority targets.” Alongside Wedding was Alejandro Rosales Castillo, a separate FBI most-wanted fugitive captured last week and unrelated to Wedding’s case.
Officials have not disclosed how Wedding was tracked down. Patel declined to discuss specifics, citing “operational sensitivities” during Friday’s briefing.
At the same event, Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, appeared alongside Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Michael Duheme. Davis said Wedding will remain in custody over the weekend and is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday.
“While we’re happy about this victory, we have a lot of work ahead of us to prosecute this case and continue our investigation. I want to emphasize; we are still seeking multiple individuals wanted for their roles in this organization. The State Department is still offering a US$2 million reward for information leading to additional arrests,” Davis said.
Patel also declined to comment on reports of a separate US$15 million reward tied to Wedding’s capture.
“This arrest was a success of interagency law enforcement putting itself to the max every single day, relentlessly,” he said.
From Olympian to Alleged Crime Boss
According to the FBI, Wedding’s operation was marked by extreme violence. Investigators say several murders were carried out to protect the trafficking network, including at least four in Ontario and one in Colombia. The Colombian victim was reportedly a key witness in the case against Wedding.
Wedding represented Canada in the parallel giant slalom event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th.
In 2006, he was named, but not charged, in a search warrant tied to a marijuana grow operation in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
Two years later, he was arrested and eventually convicted for attempting to purchase cocaine from an undercover U.S. government agent, receiving a four-year prison sentence.
Authorities allege Wedding returned to drug trafficking following his release in 2010. The RCMP has said he also faces unresolved drug-related charges in Canada dating back to 2015.
The FBI claims Los Angeles served as a major hub for Wedding’s organization, which allegedly relied on aircraft, boats, and long-haul trucks to move hundreds of kilograms of cocaine annually.
Among the victims linked to Wedding and Clark are Jagtar Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Kaur Sidhu, an Indian couple shot dead in Caledon in November 2023 in what police described as a case of mistaken identity. Their 28-year-old daughter, Kaur Sidhu, survived the attack.
Investigators also allege the pair ordered the May 2024 killing of Mohammed Zafar in Brampton over a drug debt. Clark is additionally charged in the April 2024 murder of 29-year-old Randy Fader in Niagara Falls, alongside co-accused Malik Damion Cunningham.
In November, the FBI arrested several other individuals connected to the alleged operation, including Wedding’s lawyer, Deepak Paradkar.
Prosecutors claim Paradkar advised Wedding to arrange the killing of a federal witness who was later shot dead in Colombia.
