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The FBI has released a newly obtained photo of Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian fugitive On this ten most wanted List,
Wedding, 44, is accused of running an international drug trafficking operation that transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other parts of the United States.
US authorities allege that he also committed several murders to protect his criminal enterprise.
The US State Department’s Narcotics Reward Program is now offering up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Wedding.
“The photo is believed to be from a wedding that took place in Mexico during the summer of 2025,” the FBI said.
The reward was increased in November, when U.S. authorities also announced additional incentives for information about the killers who murdered a potential witness in Medellin, Colombia, earlier this year.
From Olympian to alleged drug mafia
Wedding represented Canada in snowboarding At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. After his athletic career ended, investigators say he turned to organized crime and built a drug empire that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described as “one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world.”
Bondy said Wedding’s operations generated more than $1 billion annually and trafficked an estimated 60 metric tons of cocaine each year.
“He is the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada,” he told reporters at a November 19 press conference in Washington, DC.
Authorities believe Wedding is currently living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities say he worked closely with the cartel to transport Colombian cocaine to North American markets, flooding communities in both Canada and the United States.
New indictments announced in November accused Wedding of ordering the murder of a federal witness, who was shot five times in the head before he testified against him. One of seven people arrested in Canada Wedding’s lawyer was Deepak Paradkar, who reportedly advised him to murder the witness.
The Justice Department and the FBI are coordinating with the State and Treasury departments as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in organizing the wedding.
The FBI is urging anyone with information about Wedding’s whereabouts to come forward.