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Former Canadian team Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who allegedly ran a drug translation ring and orchestrated several murders, was seen on video being escorted by law enforcement after being captured by the FBI on Friday.
Wedding was escorted in handcuffs off a plane as it landed in Southern California, at Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County, surrounded by FBI agents. He will face federal charges.
Wedding, 44, surrendered to authorities after a period of negotiations, sources confirmed to PK Press Club. Although the specific terms of the deal are not known, sources said the former Olympian turned himself in after facing increasing pressure that prevented him from continuing to flee U.S. authorities.
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The FBI described Wedding as an “extremely violent criminal believed to be responsible for the murder of numerous people overseas.”
Wedding was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025 and is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking network that “routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States,” according to the FBI.
He is also accused of orchestrating several murders and attempted murders as part of his drug trafficking operation.
Wedding and 14 other alleged associates were specifically charged with orchestrating the January 2025 murder of a witness who was shot and killed at a restaurant in Colombia. He allegedly put a bounty on the victim’s head, believing her death would result in charges against him and the drug trafficking ring he allegedly led being dropped, according to a report. indictment unsealed in November.
After missing the 1998 Winter Olympics, Wedding qualified for his first and only Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City.
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Ryan Wedding, wanted by the FBI, was seen training for the men’s parallel giant slalom at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, February 13, 2002. (FBI | REUTERS/Jeff J Mitchell)
In his only event, the men’s parallel giant slalom, Wedding finished in 24th place. Swiss Philipp Schoch won gold, Swede Richard Rikardsson silver and American Chris Klug bronze.
After the Olympics, Wedding enrolled at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.
Wedding was first linked to criminal activity in 2006. He and another competitive snowboarder were named in a search warrant for a home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, that was investigated for growing large quantities of marijuana, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Police seized 6,800 marijuana plants from that home, but no one was charged.
Wedding was first arrested in 2009 in the United States after traveling with two friends from Vancouver to California for allegedly purchasing 24 kilograms of Colombian cocaine.
When Wedding went on trial, he claimed he was volunteering for several cancer agencies, investing in real estate and training for the 2010 Olympics. But the Canadian Snowboard Federation said he hadn’t competed in years, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Wedding served a four-year prison sentence after agreeing to forfeit more than $121,000 seized in an airport raid and dropping an appeal of his conviction.
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Ryan Wedding of Canada trains for the men’s parallel giant slalom at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, February 13, 2002. (Reuters/Jeff J Mitchell)
In 2015, he was charged with new drug offenses in Nova Scotia. This time, the police never arrested him. He was then on the run until Friday.
Wedding is estimated to have transported more than $1 billion in cocaine.
