Ryan Wedding, one of FBI’s most wanted for running drug-trafficking ring, faces additional charges; here’s how the former Olympic snowboarder landed in even more legal trouble

Trouble continues to mount for Ryan James Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada who is wanted for allegedly operating a drug-trafficking ring. The new charges against Wedding were unveiled by federal officials. According to CNN and Fox News, the new charges include murder, witness tampering, money laundering, and drug trafficking, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a news conference.

Bondi stated that the murder charge was linked to Wedding’s alleged involvement in the killing of a federal witness in Colombia who was involved in the government’s case against him. “Protecting federal witnesses from retaliation is core to the department’s mission. It’s about individual safety, but more, it’s about protecting the rule of law itself,” she said at a press conference.

The hunt for Wedding, who is now on the top 10 Most Wanted list for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring, was on for more than a year. Bondi said on Wednesday the State Department had also raised its reward for information that could lead to his arrest from $10 million to $15 million. Wedding was initially charged in 2024 with other crimes, including conspiring to distribute cocaine and murder.


US authorities who were searching for Wedding claimed that his organization shipped vast amounts of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico, and into the US and Canada, as reported by CNN. According to authorities, the group has killed four people, including two members of a family in Canada who were mistakenly identified and targeted in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment.

The authorities have also revealed that the snowboarder is also facing drug trafficking charges in Canada. He is believed to be in Mexico, authorities have said. At least a dozen other people have been arrested in the US, Mexico, Columbia, and Canada in connection to the case.