Ryan James Wedding competed as a professional snowboarder, representing Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City where he placed twenty-fourth in the parallel giant slalom. After his athletic career concluded, he pursued an entirely different enterprise that resulted in his addition to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Shifting from international sports to an alleged role as a high-ranking drug lord, Wedding’s professional timeline involves international drug trafficking, large-scale cannabis cultivation, and federal murder charges.
Transitioning From Sports To Cannabis Cultivation
Following the 2002 Winter Olympics, Wedding relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, and attended Simon Fraser University before dropping out to speculate in real estate. To finance these ventures, he initiated a marijuana growing operation at a suburban property called Eighteen Carrot Farms. I
n 2006, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided the warehouse and discovered 6,800 cannabis plants valued at 10 million dollars, alongside a shotgun and ammunition. Because Wedding was absent during the raid, authorities did not have the evidence required to file charges.
Expanding Into International Cocaine Smuggling
By 2008, Wedding expanded his operations to include international smuggling by networking with foreign organized crime groups. This enterprise stalled when he attempted to purchase cocaine from an undercover United States government agent.
The sting operation resulted in a 2010 conviction, and he received a four-year prison sentence. Upon his release in 2011, authorities state that Wedding utilized his existing connections to immediately scale up his illicit operations rather than ceasing his criminal activities.
Alleged Operations With The Sinaloa Cartel
Fleeing to Mexico, Wedding allegedly became an operative within the Sinaloa Cartel. Using aliases such as El Jefe, Giant, and Public Enemy, the 6-foot-3, or 1.91-meter, 240-pound, or 109-kilogram former athlete allegedly directed a transnational cocaine trafficking organization.
In October 2024, the United States Department of Justice formally indicted him for leading this criminal group. The indictment contains charges for coordinating contract killings, which resulted in the deaths of civilians in Canada and a federal witness in Colombia.
The FBI Manhunt And Subsequent Arrest
The scope of the alleged offenses prompted a coordinated response from multiple federal agencies. On March 6, 2025, the FBI added Wedding to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, eventually offering a 15 million dollar reward for information leading to his capture.
The manhunt ended on January 22, 2026, when law enforcement arrested Wedding in Mexico City. He was transferred to the United States, where he appeared in federal court and pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.