Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the US after years on the run, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Wedding, who had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, faces serious allegations of running a transnational drug trafficking operation that moved tonnes of cocaine across international borders. He is also wanted on murder charges, with US authorities believing he was living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
The head of Canada's federal police, which assisted in the investigation, expressed gratitude for the successful law enforcement operation, stating, No single agency or nation can combat transnational organized crime alone. Mike Duheme, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), concluded, We can finally say that our communities, our countries, are much safer with the arrest of Ryan Wedding. Wedding is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday.
According to reports, Wedding is accused of operating a drug trafficking network responsible for importing approximately 60 metric tonnes of cocaine annually, mainly to Canada, with annual revenues estimated at $1 billion. He reportedly began this criminal enterprise after his release from federal prison in 2011, where he served a sentence for cocaine distribution.
His arrest, which took place on Thursday night in Mexico City, follows years of officials tracking him down. There are varying accounts of how he was captured, with some suggesting he turned himself in at the US embassy. The FBI had placed a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
FBI officials have drawn comparisons between Wedding and notorious drug lords, calling him a modern-day Pablo Escobar and likening him to Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán.
Authorities allege Wedding ordered multiple murders and that he was living lavishly in Mexico. Reports indicate Mexican authorities had previously seized racing motorcycles, luxury items, and a rare high-value car linked to him.
In addition, officials have announced the recent capture of another man sought by the FBI for a murder case, highlighting the ongoing effort to apprehend fugitives hiding in Mexico.
