A name once seen as a major hope for Canadian sport—before taking a completely different path—is back in the spotlight. Former snowboarder Ryan James Wedding was arrested in Mexico on the evening of January 22. The news was announced by U.S. authorities, including FBI Director Kash Patel.
According to U.S. officials, the 44-year-old Wedding had ties to the Sinaloa cartel and had been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade. Investigators allege he ran a large network aimed at moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into the United States and Canada.
It was also noted that Kash Patel compared him to notorious drug lords such as Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding had been taken to the U.S., where he will face trial.
Wedding was added to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list in March 2025, and a reward of up to $15 million was offered for information leading to his location. The FBI also wrote on its page that the reward amount was later officially increased.
Court documents say Wedding’s criminal activity began around 2008. In 2009, he was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and received a federal prison sentence, and he was released in 2011. Investigators claim that after that he began building a “drug empire.”
Notably, even before this arrest there had been major controversy in Mexico around properties believed to be linked to Wedding: in recent months (according to officials), dozens of motorcycles valued at nearly $40 million were seized, and Olympic medals and other items were confiscated from various locations in Mexico City.
In short, seeing a former athlete at the center of such serious allegations may feel like a real-life “movie,” but there is no humor here: this is about a major criminal network, victims, and international security. The key point now is the U.S. court process—how strongly the charges are proven and how the case ends legally will be determined by the official investigation and the court.
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