FBI Arrests Ex-Canadian Olympic Snowboarder Turned Alleged Cocaine Kingpin In Mexico

Last Updated:January 24, 2026, 08:33 IST

Ryan Wedding, Canadian ex-Olympic snowboarder and FBI Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive, was arrested in Mexico for leading a billion-dollar cocaine ring with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Ryan Wedding is on the FBI's "Top 10 Most Wanted" list. (Photo: X)

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned suspected cocaine smuggling kingpin linked to multiple drug-related murders, has been arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face charges, US officials announced on Friday.

During a press conference at an airport east of Los Angeles, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Wedding was apprehended Thursday evening in Mexico City after years of evading capture.

“This individual and his organization and the Sinaloa Cartel poured narcotics into the streets of North America, and killed too many of our youth and corrupted too many of our citizens," Patel was quoted as saying by Reuters. “That ends today."

Patel described Wedding as the “largest narco-trafficker in modern times," comparing him to infamous drug lords like Joaquin “El Chapo" Guzman and Pablo Escobar.

Ryan Wedding, 44, is listed on the FBI’s “Top 10 Most Wanted" for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico to the U.S. and Canada. U.S. officials accuse him of collaborating with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, overseeing an operation generating over $1 billion annually in illegal drug proceeds.

The U.S. government had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Patel did not disclose whether the reward would be paid out.

News world FBI Arrests Ex-Canadian Olympic Snowboarder Turned Alleged Cocaine Kingpin In Mexico

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