FBI releases new image of Canadian former Olympian sought on murder and drug charges

The FBI has released a new image of Ryan James Wedding, the Canadian ex-Olympian allegedly behind a deadly international drug ring.

The undated image shows Wedding looking at his phone at an undisclosed location. The former Olympic snowboarder has been accused of ordering a number of murders in Canada as the head of the alleged drug-trafficking network. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Wedding is one of 16 defendants listed in a U.S. indictment unsealed last month. At that time, police released an image of Wedding, who appeared to have long hair and a patchy beard. In the updated image, Wedding is seen to have changed his appearance slightly with noticeably shorter hair.

Nine other Canadians are also accused of taking part in the network that allegedly trafficked 1,800 kilograms of cocaine across Colombia, Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.

The 43-year-old is believed to be living in Mexico and police have linked him to at least three deadly shootings north of the border, including the killing of a couple in Caledon, Ont. who investigators say were innocent.

Ryan James Wedding is shown in this handout photo. Wedding is wanted in connection with a double homicide in Ontario last year. (FBI)

Wedding is the lead defendant in the indictment and wanted on eight charges, including three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise. His alleged second in command, 34-year-old Canadian Andrew Clark, is in custody.

Beyond the indictment, Wedding faces separate "unresolved" drug trafficking charges in Canada that date back to 2015, according to the RCMP.

According to an extradition court application obtained by CTV News Toronto last month, U.S. law enforcement officials knew where Wedding was in January 2024, but did not arrest him. A statement of facts included in the application stated that a cooperating witness met with Wedding and Clark somewhere in Mexico City that month.

Operation Giant Slalom: What to know about the Canadians busted in drug ring led by former Olympian

The former Olympic snowboarder competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. He finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom.

Four years later, Wedding was named, but never charged, in a Maple Ridge, BC, search warrant that was investigating an illegal marijuana grow-op. In 2010, he was arrested, and then convicted, for trying to buy cocaine from a U.S. government agent and sentenced to four years in prison.

U.S. District Attorney Martin Estrada said last month that investigators believe Wedding resumed drug trafficking after his release from prison for his 2010 conviction and has been protected by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico ever since.

The FBI is offering a US$50,000 reward for his arrest.

United States Attorney Martin Estrada, right at podium, joined by federal, local, and international officials, announces federal charges and arrests of alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, during a news conference at the FBI offices in Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)