Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding was once wanted for his athletic ability. Now, he is wanted by law enforcement.
Wedding was added to the FBI’s 10 most wanted list Thursday. He has allegedly run a drug trafficking network, The Hill reported.
Authorities say he has shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine northward from Colombia, to Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and the United States.
The Canadian native competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement.
“The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger,” Davis added.
“He earned the name ‘El Jefe’, becoming boss of a violent transnational drug trafficking organization,” said Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles Field Division.
“Now, his face will be on ‘The Top 10 Most Wanted’ posters. He’s unremitting, callous and greed-driven. Today’s announcement beams an even brighter searchlight on him,” Allen said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has authorized a $10 million reward for information that would leads to an arrest and/or conviction of Wedding. This reward is in addition to the FBI’s current offering of $50,000. This is a j oint effort from the Canadian and Mexican governments.
If Wedding is convicted, he could ould face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison just for his criminal enterprise charge.
Andrew Clark, Wedding’s second-in-command, was arrested by Mexican authorities last year.
The fellow was among the 29 fugitives who arrived in the U.S. last week and will face charges for his part in the criminal operation.
