Their images are everywhere – brazen, opulent, and undeniably dangerous. These women, draped in luxury and often armed, are a crucial part of the world inhabited by major drug traffickers. They aren’t merely accessories; they are integral to the power and spectacle these criminals project.
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder now accused of being Canada’s largest drug trafficker, embodies this reality. Wanted by the FBI with a $15 million reward, his empire is built not just on narcotics, but on the network of women surrounding him. He’s a puzzle, and they are key pieces.
In Mexico, cartels increasingly rely on women known as “Las Flacas” – the Skinny Girls. They are valued for their ability to operate under the radar, exploiting societal biases to avoid suspicion. Their youth, beauty, and willingness to take risks make them uniquely effective operatives, even killers.
Wedding has spent years hidden within Mexico, shielded by the Sinaloa Cartel and a force of enforcers. His inner circle includes three distinct women: a wife, a girlfriend, and a madam, each playing a specific and vital role in maintaining his operation and anonymity.
The U.S. Treasury Department has taken action, placing these women on sanctions lists, freezing any potential U.S. assets and prohibiting financial interactions with them. This is a clear signal of their perceived involvement in Wedding’s criminal enterprise.
Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno, 34, is Wedding’s wife, a striking woman from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Their connection began in an unlikely place – a U.S. federal prison where Wedding was serving time for a failed drug deal involving a former KGB agent turned informant. Despite the circumstances, a relationship blossomed.
Authorities initially accused Castillo of laundering money and aiding in violent acts. However, the Treasury Department surprisingly removed her from the sanctions list the following day, citing a lack of concrete evidence linking her to Wedding’s drug empire. The decision remains shrouded in mystery.
Wedding also maintains a relationship with Daniela Alejandra Acuna Macias, a 23-year-old Colombian woman. She remains under sanction, accused of knowingly accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wedding, funds directly tied to drug trafficking. She is believed to be in hiding in Mexico and has not faced criminal charges in the U.S.
Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, a 47-year-old Colombian madam, operates one of Mexico City’s most exclusive escort agencies. She is alleged to have been the architect of Wedding’s relationship with Acuna Macias. Florez faces serious charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, witness tampering, and money laundering.
The network extends even further. Yulieth Katherine Tejada, a Colombian woman described as a “commercial sex worker,” was recently arrested in Orlando, Florida. She is accused of assisting Wedding and a key lieutenant in locating a former informant, Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, who was subsequently executed in Medellin.
Tejada now faces conspiracy charges related to murder, witness tampering, and money laundering, highlighting the brutal lengths to which Wedding’s organization will go to protect its secrets and eliminate threats. The case underscores the far-reaching consequences of his criminal enterprise.
