Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder faces charges of running a drug trafficking organization and ordering murders

It was a career turning point, to say the least.

Ryan James Wedding, 43, was once an aspiring snowboarder who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He finished 24th for Canada in the men's parallel giant slalom.

But federal prosecutors claimed Thursday that Ryan Wedding chose a different path after his snowboarding career. He had become a major cocaine trafficker to Canada and the United States, a ruthless leader of a criminal drug enterprise who would stop at nothing to keep his company – The Wedding Criminal Enterprise – running smoothly.

“He chose to become a major drug trafficker and murderer,” said U.S. Atty. for the Central District of California, Martin Estrada said during a press conference.

He remains at large.

“Ryan Wedding is still at large,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Krysti Hawkins.

Prosecutors announced a major superseding indictment on Thursday charging Wedding with conspiracy to export cocaine, running an ongoing criminal enterprise and three murders related to the operation, as well as one count of attempted murder. The replacement document supplements and replaces the original indictment.

“An Olympic athlete turned drug lord is now accused of leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians,” Estrada said.

Prosecutors alleged that Wedding – who was known by many pseudonyms including “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy” – ran the drug trafficking organization from 2011 to 2024 along with his deputy, Andrew Clark. Clark was arrested in Mexico this month.

They transported 60 tons of cocaine per year, Estrada said, calling the operation “extremely productive.” Federal prosecutors said it was an organization worth billions. Prosecutors said they seized more than a ton of cocaine, dozens of rounds of ammunition and more than $3 million worth of cryptocurrencies as part of their investigation.

They transported the cocaine from Colombia through Mexico to Southern California. From there, they distributed it to Canada and other parts of the United States, working with a Canadian drug transport network led by Hardeep Ratte and Gurpreet Singh. The cocaine was stored in warehouses in Los Angeles before being transported to Canada in trucks, prosecutors alleged.

Together, Wedding and Clark ran their business with an iron fist, Estrada said.

“They were murderers. Anyone who came in their way was met with violence, including murder,” he said.

The duo hired hitmen and carried out attacks on people they believed were getting in the way of their business.

In November 2023, Estrada said, they ordered the killing of an Indian couple visiting Canada who they believed had stolen a shipment of cocaine. It was a case of mix-up. The couple was shot in front of their daughter, who was also shot but survived.

In April 2024, Clark and another co-defendant, Malik Damion, ordered the killing of another Ontario man who was shot in his driveway. A month later, Wedding and Clark allegedly had another man killed over a drug debt as he sat in his car in the driveway of his home.

Estrada said the killings were all execution-style.

It's not the first time Wedding has broken the law. In 2008 he was arrested for cocaine trafficking. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine in 2009 after a jury trial in federal court in San Diego.

Twelve people were arrested in connection with the drug trafficking enterprise in the United States, Canada, Colombia and Mexico as part of a joint investigation.

Authorities are offering $50,000 to anyone with information leading to Wedding's arrest.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.