Former Olympic snowboarder charged with murder and drug trafficking ring

LOS ANGELES – Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been accused of running a transnational drug trafficking ring that shipped large quantities of cocaine across America and of being involved in several murders, the FBI said.

Wedding, 43, is accused of overseeing a cross-border drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped “hundreds of kilograms” of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and locations in the United States. He is also accused of “staging several murders for this purpose.” Drug crimes,” said the FBI, which issued a federal arrest warrant on Sept. 17.

Wedding is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; conspiracy to export cocaine; ongoing criminal enterprise; murder in connection with an ongoing criminal enterprise and drug crimes; and attempted murder in connection with an ongoing criminal enterprise and drug crime. He is one of 16 defendants in the case and one of four remaining fugitives, according to Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.

According to a news release, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and extradition of Wedding, who is a Canadian citizen but may be living in Mexico. According to the press release, Wedding is 1.90 meters tall, weighs 110 kilograms, has brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information about Wedding is asked to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565. Tips can also be submitted through your local FBI office, online at Tips.fbi.gov, or at the nearest American embassy or consulate.

Wedding is also facing drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015, according to Chris Leather, chief commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“These allegations remain largely unresolved,” Leather said during a news conference Thursday.

Wedding had previously been convicted in the US of conspiring to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to prison in 2010.

Wedding competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom.