Former Olympic Snowboarder, Reputed Drug Trafficker Charged with Murder of a Witness — FBI Offers $15 Million Reward for Capture

A former Olympic snowboarder is accused of running a vast international drug trafficking network and arranging the killing of a federal witness, U.S. authorities said on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, 44-year-old Ryan James Wedding allegedly ordered a hit on a federal witness after he was indicted in 2024.

The witness was shot five times and killed at a restaurant in Colombia before he could testify against Wedding, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a Wednesday press conference in Washington, D.C.

Wedding, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in March. The earlier indictment accuses him of overseeing a multinational drug operation and ordering the murders of two people in Canada who had allegedly stolen a shipment of drugs.

Authorities are offering a $15 million reward for information that leads to his arrest.

“He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world,” Bondi said. “He is the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada.”

Federal officials say Wedding is believed to be living in Mexico and working closely with the Sinaloa drug cartel. An indictment dated Oct. 28 alleges that he uses at least 32 aliases.

Ten additional suspects tied to Wedding’s alleged criminal organization were arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Department of Justice said.

Among them is criminal barrister Deepak Paradkar, who prosecutors allege suggested having the witness killed to prevent Wedding’s extradition to the United States.

Also arrested were Gursewak Singh Bal, who allegedly operated a news website that, for payment, published a photograph of the federal witness to help Wedding locate them, and Edwin Basora-Hernandez, a Canadian reggaeton musician who allegedly assisted Wedding in tracking down the victim.