A former Olympic snowboarder is wanted for drug trafficking.
Ryan James Wedding, 43, competed on behalf of Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics and now lives in Mexico. According to NBC News, a $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest.
Wedding—who goes by the nickname “El Jefe” or “Giant”—has been charged with running a drug-smuggling operation that trafficked some 60 tons of cocaine annually and killed four people. The FBI considers him armed and dangerous.
In 2010, Wedding was convicted of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and served four years in prison. Following his release, he allegedly re-entered the drug trade and became a significant player within the Sinaloa Cartel.
He allegedly shipped drugs from Mexico to southern California and eventually to Ontario, Canada. He’s also accused, along with his partner Andrew “the Dictator” Clark, of ordering the killing of two people in Ontario over a stolen drug shipment.
Already, Wedding had been charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Now, he’s also charged with eight felonies, according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
As Estrada explained, “As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians.”
If arrested, Wedding will likely face life in prison. How’s that for a fall from grace?
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