Authorities have finally caught up with former Olympic snowboarder and fugitive Ryan Wedding, who was named to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list nearly a year ago.
Justice Department officials confirmed that Wedding, 44, was arrested in Mexico in a statement issued via X on Friday, January 23.
Wedding has been accused of running an elaborate drug trafficking operation, while officials also believe he orchestrated several killings in order to further his drug crimes.
Wedding had eluded authorities for months and was ultimately added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list last March. Authorities offered a $15 million reward for information that would lead to his arrest and conviction.
“Wedding was flown to the United States where he will face justice,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote via X on January 23. “This is a direct result of President Trump’s law-and-order leadership. Under @POTUS, criminals have no safe harbor. Director [Kash] Patel has worked tirelessly to bring fugitives to justice. We are grateful to our incredible Ambassador Ron Johnson and the Mexican authorities for assisting us in this case.”
She concluded, “Outstanding work from @FBIDirectorKash, @USAttyEssayli, and all of our partners.”
In 2024, Wedding was charged with running a drug ring that used semitrucks to transport cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California and Canada.
Bondi announced in November 2025 that Wedding was also indicted on charges of orchestrating the killing of a witness in Colombia, according to ABC 7. The victim was set to testify against him in a federal drug trafficking case.
It’s believed that Wedding and his co-conspirators used a Canadian website called The Dirty News to post a photograph of the witness, which led him to being identified and ultimately killed. Authorities said that after the photo was shared, the witness was followed to a restaurant in Medellín and was shot in the head in January 2025.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” Akil Davis, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said after Wedding was named on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list.
“The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger.”
Wedding is also facing separate drug trafficking charges in Canada that date back to 2015, per the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Wedding was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the United States and was sentenced to prison in 2010. He was released the following year. In 2024, federal prosecutors said they believed Wedding resumed drug trafficking under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico following his prison release.
Authorities believed that Wedding was living under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel during his time as a fugitive, according to NBC. The powerful drug enterprise based in Mexico was previously led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States after he was found guilty of several charges.
Prior to his life as a fugitive, Wedding competed for Team Canada as a snowboarder in the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He finished the competition in 24th place.
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