Ryan Wedding

Last updated

Ryan Wedding
Ryan James Wedding (FBI).webp
Wedding in 2024
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
Charges
  • Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
  • Conspiracy to Export Cocaine
  • Continuing Criminal Enterprise
  • Murder in Connection with a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Drug Crime
  • Attempt to Commit Murder in Connection with a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Drug Crime
RewardUS$10,000,000
AliasJames Conrad King, Jesse King, "Giant", "Public Enemy", "El Jefe"
Description
Born (1981-09-14) 14 September 1981 (age 43)
Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
GenderMale
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight240 lb (109 kg)
Occupation
  • Former snowboarder
  • Drug trafficker
Status
Added6 March 2025
Number535
Currently a Top Ten Fugitive

Ryan James Wedding (born 14 September 1981) is a Canadian drug trafficker and former Olympic snowboarder. [1] He competed in the men's parallel giant slalom event at the 2002 Winter Olympics, placing 24th in the event. [2] On 6 March 2025, Wedding was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. [3]

Contents

Snowboarding

Coming from a background of ski racers, Wedding learned to snowboard at his grandparents' ski resort, Thunder Bay's Mount Baldy. [4] He started his career at the age of 12 and won a bronze medal in the Parallel Giant Slalom at the 1999 Junior World Championship and a silver medal in the 2001 Junior World Championships. [5] At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he competed for Team Canada in snowboarding men's parallel giant slalom, where he finished 24th overall. [6]

Criminal conduct

After the 2002 Winter Olympics, he went to Simon Fraser University, but dropped out after becoming a marijuana dealer. He expanded his operation when he joined up with Iranian and Russian cocaine smugglers. [5] In 2006, Wedding was named in a search warrant for allegedly growing large quantities of marijuana but was not charged. [7] In 2010, he was convicted of attempting to buy cocaine from a U.S. government agent in 2008, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison. [8] [9] [10]

On 17 October 2024, Wedding was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with "leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians." He is charged with multiple felonies, including drug trafficking, leading a criminal organization, three counts of murder, and one attempt to commit murder. He is currently a fugitive. [11] [12] He was one of sixteen people to be charged as part of operation Giant Slalom in a joint investigation by several federal agencies. [13] The murders in which Wedding is accused of having carried out were of Jagtar Sidhu, 57, his wife, Harbhajan Sidhu, 55 and Mohammed Zafar, 39. The Sidhus were killed in November 2023, while Zafar was killed in May 2024. [14] Wedding is believed to have ordered the murders alongside Andrew Clark, who has been charged with the April 2024 murder of Randy Fader, 29. [15]

According to authorities, since his release, Wedding fled to Mexico and there became a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel (Mexico's largest drug cartel), where he is known by the nicknames "El Jefe," "Giant" or "Public Enemy". [16] [17] The alleged second-in-command of Wedding's trafficking ring was arrested in Mexico in October 2024. [18] [19] On 6 March 2025, Wedding was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, [3] [20] replacing Alexis Flores. [3] The FBI is offering a reward of up to ten million United States dollars for his capture. [20]

Personal life

While incarcerated in 2011, Wedding married a woman from British Columbia. They have since separated and his ex-wife has remarried. [21]

In media

A television documentary series titled Snow King: From Olympian to Narco is currently in production, based on a Rolling Stone investigation. The series is a collaboration between Rolling Stone Films, London-based documentary firm Dogwoof, Toronto's Visitor Media, and Corriente del Golfo, a production company co-founded by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. [22] [23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Most Wanted: RYAN JAMES WEDDING". Federal Bureau of Investigation . Archived from the original on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  2. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ryan Wedding Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Former Olympian Wanted for Running Transnational Drug Enterprise and Ordering Several Murders Added to FBI's List of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 6 March 2025. Archived from the original on 6 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  4. ↑ McPhee, Michele (18 January 2025). "From Olympic Dreams to FBI's Most Wanted: The Fall of Ryan Wedding". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 NDTV News Desk (11 March 2025). "From Olympic Snowboarder To FBI's Most Wanted, The Fall Of Ryan Wedding". www.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  6. ↑ Effress, Sarah (17 October 2024). "Who is Ryan James Wedding? What to know about Canadian snowboarder charged with running cocaine ring". The Sporting News .
  7. ↑ "Ryan Wedding". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "Ryan Wedding". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Luymes, Glenda (18 October 2024). "Who is Ryan Wedding? Former Olympic snowboarder accused of running transnational drug ring". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  10. ↑ Bolan, Kim (2 May 2009). "Snowboarder charged with trafficking". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved 31 March 2022– via PressReader.
  11. ↑ "Former Canadian Olympian charged in connection with cocaine bust, alleged murders". CBC News . 17 October 2024. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "16 Defendants Charged in Superseding Indictment Alleging Bulk Shipments of Cocaine to Canada, Four Murders". US Department of Justice. 17 October 2024. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Goldberg, Noah (17 October 2024). "Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder charged with running drug trafficking organization, ordering killings". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  14. ↑ Tsekouras, Phil (6 March 2025). "US$10M reward posted for ex-Olympian turned alleged drug kingpin". CTV News. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  15. ↑ Dawson, Tyler (6 March 2025). "$10M bounty: Canadian Olympian on FBI's most wanted list over alleged drug crimes". National Post . Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  16. ↑ Nielsen, Kevin (18 October 2024). "What we know about Ryan Wedding, Canadian Olympian and accused drug lord". Global News . Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  17. ↑ Caramela, Sammi (18 October 2024). "Olympic Snowboarder Is Running Massive, Murderous Drug Trafficking Operation from Mexico, FBI Says". Vice Media . Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  18. ↑ Leon, Calvi (15 March 2025). "Canadian man accused of helping lead ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding's drug ring extradited to U.S. from Mexico". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 28 February 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  19. ↑ Leon, Calvi (27 March 2025). "'Second-in-command' to Canadian Olympian turned alleged drug lord pleads not guilty to charges including four Ontario murders". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 27 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  20. 1 2 Daigle, Thomas (6 March 2025). "FBI offers $10M reward for Canadian ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding, now among 10 most wanted". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  21. ↑ Daigle, Thomas (27 February 2025). "Fugitive Ryan Wedding's ex-wife named in money laundering, kidnapping probes". CBC News . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  22. ↑ Blistein, Jon (17 March 2025). "Rolling Stone Investigation Into Snowboarder Turned Drug Lord to Become Docuseries". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  23. ↑ Carey, Matthew (17 March 2025). "Docuseries On Ryan Wedding, Olympic Snowboarder-Turned-FBI Most Wanted Fugitive, Coming From Dogwoof, Visitor Media". Deadline. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
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