From Olympian to Outlaw: FBI Offers $10M Reward for Alleged Drug Lord Ryan "El Jefe" Wedding.
The FBI has placed former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan "El Jefe" Wedding on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, alleging he led a violent transnational drug cartel that smuggled massive amounts of cocaine from Colombia to Canada via the United States and Mexico.
Authorities are offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction—one of the largest bounties currently available for a fugitive.
From the Slopes to the Streets
Ryan Wedding, 43, once competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom event. However, federal prosecutors now accuse him of orchestrating an international drug ring that moved hundreds of pounds of cocaine across North America—and resorting to violence and murder to maintain control.
"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," said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
Authorities say Wedding’s criminal organization moved cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, then into Southern California, where the drugs were stored before being transported to Canada in long-haul semi-trucks.
Murder, Retaliation, and an International Manhunt
Wedding and his second-in-command, Andrew Clark, 34, were indicted in June 2024 by a Los Angeles federal grand jury on charges of:
✅ Running a continuing criminal enterprise
✅ Drug trafficking and conspiracy
✅ Murder and attempted murder
A superseding indictment six months later added 14 more defendants and new charges, including an attempted murder linked to Wedding and Clark.
Authorities accuse Wedding of ordering at least three murders:
- November 20, 2023: Two family members were executed in Ontario, Canada, over a stolen drug shipment.
- May 18, 2024: Another individual was murdered over a drug debt.
- April 1, 2024: Clark and another gang member, Malik Damion Cunningham, allegedly carried out another killing in Ontario, Canada.
A surviving family member from the Ontario attack was left with serious injuries.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally, "Wedding led a transnational criminal organization that murdered innocent people and put thousands of kilograms of narcotics on our streets."
Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 and has since been extradited to the United States, but Wedding remains at large.
The $10 Million Reward & Global Search
Authorities believe Wedding is currently hiding in Mexico, but he could also be in Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere.
In an effort to bring him to justice, the U.S. State Department has offered a $10 million reward, in addition to the FBI's $50,000 bounty.
If convicted, Wedding and Clark face:
🔴 Mandatory life sentences for running a continuing criminal enterprise
🔴 20 years to life for murder and attempted murder charges
🔴 10 to 15 years for drug trafficking
How to Help Authorities Catch Ryan Wedding
The FBI is urging the public to come forward with any information on Wedding’s whereabouts. Anyone with relevant details can contact:
📞 FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI
💻 Online Tip Submission: www.fbi.gov
With millions in rewards on the table, law enforcement officials hope Wedding’s capture is only a matter of time.
