SI

Ryan Wedding, Olympic Snowboarder Turned Accused Drug Lord, Arrested

The Ontario native was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Patrick Andres|
Ryan Wedding competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Ryan Wedding competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. | Provided by the FBI / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder who is alleged by the FBI to have run a sophisticated multinational drug operation and orchestrated murders, has been arrested in Mexico, according to a Friday morning report from Mike Balsamo, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Eric Tucker of the AP.

Wedding, 44, was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. He previously served four years in prison for attempting to buy cocaine from a government informant.

Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding competed in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th.

The U.S. Justice Department charged the Canadian national in 2024 with “leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians” and ordering three murders. In November, the United States increased the reward for information leading his arrest from $10 million to $15 million.

Per the AP, FBI director Kash Patel will announce Wedding’s arrest at a press conference Friday.

More on Sports Illustrated

Published
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

Home/Olympics