A former Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding, has been arrested and charged with leading a notorious drug trafficking ring that allegedly raked in $1 billion in cocaine sales annually. His journey from prodigious athlete to alleged cartel boss has unfolded like a thrilling crime novel, complete with witness murders, a corrupt lawyer, and cross-border drug shipments.
Born in Thunder Bay, Canada, Wedding honed his snowboarding skills at his grandparents’ modest ski resort. He competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, but failed to reach the podium. After this disappointment, his life took a dramatic turn.
Prosecutors claim Wedding quickly rose through the ranks of the drug trade, forging key relationships with dealers while serving a prison sentence for a cocaine conspiracy conviction. His alleged network’s reach was laid bare when a trusted ally, who had become an FBI informant, was murdered in broad daylight in Medellín, Colombia.
The brazen killing was just one in a string of contract killings that authorities have linked to Wedding. He is believed to have ordered the deaths of those standing in his way, including a couple in Ontario who were mistaken for rival criminals, and a man shot in his driveway over drug debts.
While US officials have compared Wedding to notorious figures like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo, security experts in Mexico have expressed scepticism about the scale of his operation. They argue the US government may have exaggerated the scope of his enterprise, creating a “kingpin” who has now been seized with much fanfare.
Nonetheless, Wedding’s alleged criminal empire unravelled when a lawyer accused of advising him to have a key witness murdered was arrested. After years on the run in Mexico, reportedly under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel, Wedding was finally taken into custody last week.
The rise and fall of this former Olympian-turned-alleged drug boss has captivated observers, with the promise of future films and documentaries about his twisted tale. But the true extent of his criminal activities remains a subject of debate, as authorities seek to bring him to justice.
