Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, is facing charges in the United States for allegedly running a large and violent cocaine smuggling operation out of Mexico. The Department of Justice has unveiled a 52-page indictment that names Wedding and 15 other individuals in the conspiracy to ship 60 tonnes of cocaine a year from Colombia to Canada and the US using long-haul semi-trucks. Wedding, who goes by aliases such as El Jefe, Giant, and Public Enemy, is currently a fugitive, with the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and extradition.
One of Wedding’s associates, Nahim Jorge Bonilla, was arrested in Florida and charged with receiving 12 kilograms of cocaine from Wedding and another co-defendant, Andrew Clark, for distribution. According to the indictment, Bonilla was in debt to Clark and Wedding, who threatened to kill Bonilla’s mother if he did not repay what was owed. Wedding, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, also faces charges in Canada in a separate drug case, having previously been convicted in the US of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2010.
Authorities believe that after Wedding’s release from prison, he resumed drug trafficking, this time working with the notorious Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. Martin Estrada, the US attorney in Los Angeles, described Wedding as choosing to become a major drug trafficker and killer. The investigation into the drug trafficking conspiracy has resulted in the seizure of cocaine, weapons, ammunition, cash, and over $3 million in cryptocurrency. Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the DEA in Los Angeles, commented that Wedding, the Olympian snowboarder, had transitioned from navigating slopes to a life of crime.
Of the 16 individuals accused in the conspiracy, four are still fugitives, while a dozen others have been arrested in various locations, including Florida, Michigan, Canada, Colombia, and Mexico. The criminal enterprise is also connected to the murders of two members of an Indian family in Ontario, Canada, on November 20, 2023, as retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. Additionally, at least one other individual was killed by the group connected to Wedding and his associates. Wedding’s co-defendant, Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico by authorities, known by the alias “The Dictator”.
The indictment and subsequent arrests reveal a large-scale and dangerous drug operation that Wedding and his associates were allegedly involved in. The link to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, the threats of violence, and the murders connected to the conspiracy highlight the seriousness and extent of the criminal activities. The investigation has also shown the international scope of the drug trafficking network, with individuals being arrested in multiple countries and the involvement of various law enforcement agencies in bringing down the operation. Wedding’s history of drug trafficking and previous convictions indicate a pattern of criminal behavior that has escalated into the serious charges he now faces.
