Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who was on the FBI’s high fugitives record, has been arrested, AP sources say.
Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who competed within the 2002 Winter Olympics, landed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted record for allegedly ordering dozens of murders throughout the globe, together with within the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
The 44-year-old is accused of operating a drug trafficking operation, and officers say he orchestrated a number of killings to additional the drug crimes.
Authorities had supplied a $15 million reward for data resulting in his arrest and conviction.
The arrest is anticipated to be introduced later Friday morning at a information convention with FBI Director Kash Patel in California.
Wedding was apprehended in Mexico, one official mentioned.
Wedding competed for his dwelling nation, Canada, within the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
He was charged in 2024 with operating a drug ring that used semitrucks to maneuver cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California and Canada. Authorities mentioned his aliases included “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy” and “James Conrad Kin.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled a brand new indictment in opposition to him in November 2025, accusing him of recent homicide, witness tampering and intimidation, cash laundering, and drug trafficking costs.
Authorities mentioned Wedding and co-conspirators used a Canadian web site referred to as The Dirty News to put up {a photograph} of the witness so he could possibly be recognized and killed.
The witness was then adopted to a restaurant in Medellín in January and shot within the head.
Wedding faces separate drug trafficking costs in Canada that date again to 2015, based on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Wedding was beforehand convicted within the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to jail in 2010, federal data present.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/ryan-wedding-arrested-fbi-olympic-snowboarder-b2906896.html