Former Olympian Ryan Wedding placed on FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List, officials offer $10 million reward
Former Olympic snowboarder wanted for allegedly co-leading an international drug trafficking ring and ordering the killings of multiple people has been added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. Federal officials are also offering a $10 million reward for his capture.
Federal officials announced the news about the 43-year-old Canadian national, Ryan Wedding, at a news conference Thursday morning.
Wedding competed for the Canadian national team in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games before he was convicted in 2010 for attempting to buy cocaine from a U.S. government agent.
Officials said some of Wedding's aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King." Federal prosecutors believe Wedding is currently living in Mexico but have not ruled out his presence in the U.S., Canada and other Latin American countries.
Part of the crimes Wedding is allegedly wanted for includes running a transnational drug trafficking network that would routinely ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. Wedding's network would ship the cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other parts of the U.S., federal officials said.
In just one seizure, authorities said, investigators found several defendants possessed about 1.8 tons of cocaine with a street value of around $23 to $25 million, according to federal prosecutors.
He is also wanted for ordering multiple murders in Ontario, Canada and an attempted murder in furtherance of these drug crimes.
"The former Canadian snowboarder unleashed an avalanche of death and destruction, here and abroad," said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Field Division. "He earned the name 'El Jefe', becoming boss of a violent transnational drug trafficking organization. Now, his face will be on 'The Top 10 Most Wanted' posters. He's unremitting, callous and greed-driven. Today's announcement beams an even brighter searchlight on him. We ask that you help us find him."
Federal officials said his placement on the FBI's top ten list marks the 535th addition.
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced it is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. This reward supplements the FBI's current offering of $50,000 for information leading to his arrest or extradition.
The $10 million reward was authorized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio under the Narcotics Rewards Program, the FBI said.
Last week, Wedding's criminal partner, Andrew Clark, who was living in Mexico when he was arrested, was extradited to the U.S. Federal officials have referred to Clark as Wedding's right-hand man.
"In September 2024, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a superseding indictment naming 14 additional defendants and including, among other counts, an attempted murder charge against Wedding and Clark," according to the FBI.
If convicted of all charges, Wedding and Clark could face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison on their respective continuing criminal organization charge, federal prosecutors said.
Anyone with information of Wedding's whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram at +1-424 495-0614. Individuals can also contact their local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Confidentiality will be given to anyone who calls with information.
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