Ex Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Arrested After Years on FBI Fugitive List

• A former Canadian Winter Olympian has been taken into custody after years on the FBI’s most wanted list
• Authorities say he oversaw a major transnational cocaine pipeline tied to powerful cartel interests
• The arrest concludes a long international pursuit and sets up a high profile federal court case in the United States

Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been arrested after more than a decade on the run and now faces major drug trafficking and murder charges in the United States.

Wedding, 44, turned himself in at the United States Embassy in Mexico City before being flown to California, according to officials. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that United States investigators worked with authorities in Mexico, Canada, Colombia and the Dominican Republic in the year long operation.

Wedding is accused of overseeing a major drug trafficking network that allegedly moved large volumes of drugs from Colombia through Mexico and into Southern California before distribution in Canada and parts of the United States. Investigators believe the network operated with the backing of the Sinaloa Cartel.

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Wedding participated in the Olympics

The former athlete competed in snowboarding for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He had reportedly been living in Mexico for more than ten years and was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2025. A reward of up to 15 million US dollars was offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Patel described the arrest as proof of strong international cooperation, stating that targeting a figure of Wedding’s profile required what he called a united front. Mexico’s government also confirmed the Canadian citizen surrendered to United States officials.

Wedding faces murder and drug

Wedding previously served a sentence in the United States for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He now faces new federal charges, including running a criminal enterprise, drug trafficking and directing multiple killings connected to the alleged drug network. United States prosecutors claim the organisation was one of the main suppliers of cocaine to Canada and generated revenues worth billions.

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Authorities say 36 people linked to the network have been arrested and investigators seized drugs, weapons, cash and high value assets, including cars, jewellery and artwork. Canadian officials have also welcomed the arrest, noting that Wedding faces separate drug charges in Canada dating back to 2015.

Wedding was expected to appear in a federal court in California on Monday 26 January 2026. A second FBI fugitive, Alejandro Rosales Castillo, was also arrested in Mexico and transferred to the United States to face separate murder charges.

South African Paralympic legend Natalie du Toit was also in the spotlight for reasons outside the swimming pool. with, reports revealed that the decorated athlete was facing a formal demand from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for more than R1 million in unpaid taxes.

Some of the sporting figures who have found themselves on the trail of the taxpayer include businesswoman and former Premier Soccer League club owner, Shauwn Mkhize. She reportedly owes SARS tax debts in the amount of R40 million. Also, footballers have not managed to escape the might hawk's eye of SARS, with Kaizer Chiefs star Gaston Sirino having found himself in the headlines as well regarding his tax accruals to the tax authorities.

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Pistorius finishes 3rd in Durban Ironman race

Briefly News previously reported that Oscar Pistorius has made a low-key comeback to competitive sport, competing in the Durban Half Ironman, where he secured third place in his division.

This was the former Paralympic champion’s second official competition since leaving prison. Pistorius spent more than ten years incarcerated for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and now lives under strict parole supervision.

Source: Briefly News