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From Olympian to FBI’s Most Wanted: The Unbelievable Story of Ryan Wedding
- Authors
- Name
- Juno Ryelie
From Olympian to FBI’s Most Wanted: The Unbelievable Story of Ryan Wedding
Once a celebrated Olympian gliding down snowy slopes for Team Canada, Ryan Wedding now follows a dramatically different path as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. This is the shocking story of a gifted athlete's descent from the pinnacle of sports into the dark underworld of an alleged billion-dollar international drug empire, culminating in a global manhunt and charges of murder. His journey from Olympic glory to infamy is a chilling tale of ambition gone horrifically wrong.
Event/Topic Overview
The sprawling international case against former snowboarder Ryan Wedding has taken a significant turn with the arrest of a key figure in Canada. At the request of the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detained Atna Onha, a 40-year-old allegedly nicknamed 'Tupac', in connection with the assassination of a crucial witness. The witness, Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, was murdered in Medellin, Colombia, just months after he was reportedly slated to testify against Wedding's organization.
In response to this major development, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, alongside the Commissioner of the RCMP, have announced a joint press conference. They are expected to reveal "significant enforcement actions against an international criminal organization." The announcement is widely believed to be directly related to the investigation into Wedding, signaling that the net may finally be closing on the fugitive Olympian.
Key Highlights & Standouts
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Giant Slalom," paints a grim picture of a sophisticated and ruthless criminal enterprise. The allegations against Ryan James Wedding are as extensive as they are shocking, marking one of the most dramatic falls from grace in sports history.
The Charges: From Drugs to Brutal Murders
Ryan Wedding faces eight felony charges, including leading a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute and export controlled substances, and most chillingly, three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Prosecutors accuse his organization of routinely shipping hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada. They also allege his network flooded North American cities with as much as five metric tons of fentanyl a month. The violence attributed to his group was reportedly callous, including the 2023 killing of an Indian couple in a case of mistaken identity over a drug theft, where their daughter survived despite being shot 13 times.
A Global Manhunt with a $10 Million Reward
After nearly a decade on the run, Wedding was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. The manhunt is a massive international effort involving law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles, Toronto, Detroit, Mexico, Colombia, and Interpol. Despite the intense pressure, Wedding has remained elusive, believed to be hiding in Mexico, where he may have undergone plastic surgery to alter his appearance.
Cartel and Gang Connections
Authorities allege that Wedding, known by aliases such as 'El Jefe' and 'Giant', has forged powerful alliances in the criminal underworld. He is said to have connections to the Hells Angels and, most significantly, to the Sinaloa Cartel, the infamous drug gang once headed by Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman. It is believed that Wedding has been living in Mexico under the cartel's protection while continuing to run his drug trafficking operations.
Public & Critical Reaction
Law enforcement officials have been vocal about the extreme danger posed by Wedding and his organization. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated, "The Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization and its unremitting, callous and greed-driven crimes have been operating for far too long. They have triggered an avalanche of violent crimes, including brutal murders." Akil Davis of the FBI succinctly summarized the former athlete's trajectory, saying, "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." The FBI warns that Wedding should be considered armed and dangerous.
Behind the Scenes / Background
Who is Ryan Wedding, and how did an Olympic athlete become one of the world's most wanted men? His story began in Thunder Bay, Canada, where he was a gifted student with a passion for engines and model airplanes. With snow sports in his blood, he excelled at snowboarding, winning his first race at 12 and making the Canadian national team at 15. In 2002, at just 20 years old, he achieved his dream of competing in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th.
After the Olympics, his life took a different turn. While studying at a university near Vancouver, he began working as a bouncer and reportedly befriended drug dealers. He soon dropped out of college and, according to reports, used money from his father to enter real estate, allegedly making six-figure profits that raised suspicions. By 2004, police suspected he was running a massive marijuana-growing operation. Though a 2006 raid uncovered nearly 7,000 plants, Wedding was never charged.
His luck ran out in 2008 when he was arrested in a sting operation in San Diego while attempting to buy over 24 kilograms of cocaine. Convicted of conspiracy to distribute, he was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010. It was during his time behind bars, locked up with minor players from the Mexican drug trade, that his criminal education allegedly intensified. One former FBI agent told Rolling Stone, "We really did just turn him into a much better drug dealer than he ever was."
Significance & What's Next
Upon his release from prison, authorities say Wedding returned to trafficking and built the "prolific and ruthless organization" he is now accused of leading. He became a fugitive in 2015 when an arrest warrant was issued in Canada. The significance of his case lies in the stark contrast between his public persona as an Olympian and his alleged secret life as a cartel-connected kingpin. His story serves as a cautionary tale of how talent and opportunity can be corrupted.
With the recent arrest of a key associate and the impending announcement from top law enforcement officials, the pressure on Wedding is greater than ever. The international coalition is determined to dismantle his network and bring him to justice. The world is watching to see how much longer this former Olympian can outrun his past and evade capture.
Follow the latest developments as international authorities intensify their hunt for one of the most unlikely and dangerous fugitives in modern history. The full story of Ryan Wedding's rise and fall is far from over.