Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, is now wanted by the FBI. He’s accused of being a major player in a drug trafficking ring.
In November 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wedding is charged with running a criminal operation that included the murder of a witness.
Wedding competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics. But authorities say he later became involved in a huge drug operation. Attorney General Pam Bondi claims he was the “largest distributor of cocaine” in Canada.
Earlier in 2025, Wedding was put on the FBI’s most wanted list. An official stated that nobody is above the law, “not even a former Olympian.”
So, who is Ryan Wedding, and why is the FBI after him?
Wedding was an Olympic snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He competed in the men’s parallel giant slalom event, finishing 24th.
He grew up in Canada and had been snowboarding since he was 12. He even made the Canadian national team at 15.
After the Olympics, Wedding went to college but dropped out after two years. He then worked as a bouncer before allegedly getting involved in dealing drugs.
The FBI wants Wedding for supposedly running a big drug trafficking network.
Bondi says Wedding is the “largest distributor of cocaine” in Canada. She claims he brings in “60 metric tons” of cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. each year.
FBI Director Kash Patel compared Wedding to notorious drug lords like Pablo Escobar and “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Wedding is also accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness. The witness was shot and killed in Colombia in January 2025.
Authorities say Wedding ordered the hit after being charged in 2024.
Wedding faces charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, and murder.
He was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and sentenced to four years in prison.
As of November 20, Wedding had not been caught.
Authorities are offering $15 million for information that leads to his arrest. They believe he is hiding in Mexico, protected by a drug cartel.
Wedding uses aliases like “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “Giant.”
The Department of Justice announced that 10 people connected to Wedding’s drug operation were arrested on November 18.
These arrests are part of an investigation called “Operation Giant Slalom.”
Wedding is still on the run, but the FBI says they “will find him” and bring him to justice.
