Ryan James Wedding is a 43-year-old former athlete, who once represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, competing in the parallel giant slalom event. He is now at the center of a massive international investigation. 

Wedding is wanted for “allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking network that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and for orchestrating multiple murders and an attempted murder in furtherance of these drug crimes,” according to the FBI. 

What charges is Ryan James Wedding facing?

The charges against Wedding go far beyond drug trafficking. The former athlete is accused of ordering multiple murders and an attempted murder, all reportedly connected to his drug-related activities. 

These violent crimes include a double homicide in Ontario, Canada, in November 2023, allegedly carried out as a response for a stolen drug shipment. In this incident, two family members were killed, and another was seriously injured. Additional murders linked to Wedding's organization reportedly occurred in May and April 2024, stemming from drug-related disputes.

The charges carry mandatory minimum sentences of life imprisonment for leading a continuing criminal enterprise and at least 20 years for the murder charges. Additionally, the drug trafficking charges have a mandatory minimum sentence of 10-15 years.

The Current Hunt for Wedding...

The U.S. Department of State has offered a substantial $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction, while the FBI is offering an extra $50,000.

Known by a series of aliases, including "El Jefe," "Giant," and "Public Enemy," Wedding has managed to elude authorities thus far. While investigators believe he may be hiding in Mexico, they still believe he could be in other possible locations, including Canada or other Latin American countries. 

The international nature of his alleged crimes has turned this into a global pursuit, with law enforcement agencies worldwide on high alert.

The case has also brought attention to Wedding's alleged accomplices. His reported second-in-command, Andrew Clark, was apprehended in Mexico in October 2024 and extradited to the United States.