Former Olympic Snowboarder Wanted: $10 Million Reward to Capture Accused Drug Kingpin

Los Angeles AP —

A former Olympic snowboarder from Canada is now on the lam, and there’s a hefty $10 million reward for anyone who can help find him. Ryan Wedding, 43, is accused of running a major drug trafficking operation and is linked to several murders tied to this criminal network.

The FBI has placed Wedding on its 10 Most Wanted list. They made this announcement alongside the State Department’s large reward offer. Wedding’s dramatic shift from athlete to alleged drug kingpin has shocked many.

“Wedding went from competing on snow-covered slopes to allegedly distributing cocaine in U.S. cities and his home country,” noted Akil Davis, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “His involvement in multiple murders makes him a serious threat.”

The FBI has identified several of Wedding’s aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “James Conrad King.”

Last June, Wedding faced charges for murder and drug-related crimes. In September, further allegations emerged, claiming he was part of a scheme to traffic about 60 tons of cocaine yearly, using long-haul trucks to transport the drugs from Colombia and Mexico to Southern California and Canada.

In early October, the FBI revealed that a dozen people were arrested in connection with this case. U.S. authorities allege that Wedding’s group killed two individuals in Canada, wrongly believing them responsible for a stolen drug shipment. This incident highlights the violent lengths to which Wedding and his associates have gone.

Interestingly, Wedding was once a competitive athlete, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Olympics. Now, he is at the center of a nationwide manhunt.