Ryan Wedding once stood on the precipice of Olympic glory, a fearless Canadian snowboarder with a relentless drive. He represented his nation at the 2002 Winter Olympics, a moment that should have launched a career defined by athletic achievement. Instead, it marked the beginning of a descent into a world of unimaginable darkness, culminating in accusations of becoming one of the most prolific drug traffickers of his generation.
Now 44, Wedding faces 17 federal felony charges – drug trafficking, witness tampering, and conspiracy to commit murder. He pleaded not guilty, but his past has caught up to him after years on the run, finally apprehended in Mexico after nearly a year on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. Authorities knew him by chilling aliases: “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy.”
Those who knew him during his snowboarding career struggle to reconcile the athlete they admired with the alleged criminal he’s become. A former teammate recalled Wedding’s unwavering ambition, a desire to be a “big name” that bordered on obsession. “He wasn’t the type to let anything stop him from getting what he wanted,” the teammate confessed, hinting at a potential darkness lurking beneath the surface.
The accusations paint a terrifying picture: Wedding allegedly orchestrated the movement of millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico, and into the United States and Canada. Prosecutors claim he didn’t stop at drug trafficking, alleging he ordered multiple murders – silencing victims and government witnesses who threatened his empire. The FBI Director has likened him to modern-day El Chapo and Pablo Escobar, believing he thought himself untouchable.
Wedding’s early life offered little indication of the path he would take. He won his first snowboarding race at age 12, a prodigy driven by an almost unsettling intensity. While peers indulged in typical teenage pursuits, he reportedly went to bed clutching a teddy bear, a poignant detail revealing a complex personality. His grandparents’ ski club fostered his competitive spirit from the very beginning.
He possessed a rare quality, according to a former national champion ski racer: a complete lack of fear. “A lot of kids…hold something back,” the racer explained. “Ryan had none of that.” This fearless pursuit of speed and victory would later translate into a reckless pursuit of power and wealth.
The 2002 Olympics proved to be a turning point. A 24th-place finish in the parallel giant slalom, a devastating result for someone consumed by winning, left him deeply dissatisfied. His teammate noted a palpable shift in his demeanor, a growing unhappiness with anything less than absolute success. The dream began to unravel.
He enrolled at university, encouraged by his parents to pursue a stable career, but quickly gravitated towards a dangerous world. He found work as a bouncer in nightclubs frequented by gang members, and soon began to emulate their lifestyle – expensive watches, a sculpted physique, and flashy cars. The transformation was underway.
By 2004, he had dropped out of school. A 2006 police raid uncovered a massive marijuana grow operation linked to Wedding, complete with loaded weapons and an estimated $10 million in illicit goods. Though charges didn’t stick, it was a clear indication of his escalating involvement in criminal activity.
His luck finally ran out in 2008 with an arrest in California for attempting to purchase cocaine from an undercover FBI agent. But even prison couldn’t contain his ambition. Authorities believe his time behind bars only honed his skills, transforming him into a more sophisticated and ruthless drug dealer.
After a reduced sentence, Wedding resurfaced in Montreal, allegedly forging a connection with a dealer tied to the notorious Sinaloa cartel. Experts say it’s rare for non-Mexicans to act as liaisons for such powerful organizations, making Wedding’s alleged role all the more significant. He was operating on a level rarely seen for a Canadian.
In 2015, he allegedly proposed a plan to traffic 5,000 kilograms of cocaine – worth hundreds of millions – to an undercover RCMP officer. When authorities raided his condo, he had vanished, seemingly tipped off to their investigation. He then disappeared into Mexico, building a vast cocaine empire reportedly generating over $1 billion annually.
Violence became a hallmark of his operation. A key associate was fatally shot in a Montreal restaurant after his release from prison, and no suspect was ever identified. In 2023, Operation Giant Slalom was launched, and a former prison associate turned informant, providing crucial intelligence. Prosecutors allege Wedding responded by placing a $5 million bounty on the informant’s head, who was later found murdered in Medellín.
Wedding’s lawyer dismisses claims of his surrender in Mexico City as a “false narrative.” Regardless, authorities have arrested 36 individuals connected to his alleged organization, seizing over 2,300 kilograms of cocaine, significant quantities of meth and fentanyl, and more than $55 million in assets. Even after his Olympic disappointment, a former teammate believed he “was the last person who needed to go down this path,” a tragic testament to a life derailed by ambition and a thirst for power.
