Police launched a manhunt for Canadian Olympian Ryan James Wedding, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list for murder and drug charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the professional Canadian snowboarder, who competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics, is part of an organized drug ring and is wanted along with 15 others. The DOJ issued a statement Thursday, saying Wedding is facing criminal charges for allegedly running the drug-trafficking operation, which shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada. Police also allege he used violent methods and resorted to murder in order to achieve the group’s goals.
The #FBI offers a reward of up to $50,000 for info leading to the apprehension, arrest & extradition of Ryan James Wedding, wanted for alleged involvement in a transnational drug trafficking operation & multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes: https://t.co/RFdFwKgSaf pic.twitter.com/YY6s8pmPqx
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) October 17, 2024
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada alleges that Wedding led a transnational, organized crime group that smuggled cocaine and was responsible for trafficking and murder. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Andrew Clark, a 34-year-old Canadian citizen living in Mexico, was arrested Oct. 8.
“He chose to become a major drug trafficker and he chose to become a killer,” Estrada said, according to CBC.
The 43-year-old fugitive was based in Coquitlam, B.C., but recently had been living in Mexico. Wedding is the lead defendant in the case and is on the run, according to authorities.
“Instead of using the privileges that come with being an Olympic athlete to do good for people, he did the opposite,” Estrada said, according to the DOJ.
Law enforcement officers seized roughly 1,800 kilograms of cocaine, along with $255,400 in U.S. cash and $3.2 million in cryptocurrency as part of this investigation, according to the DOJ.
The organized crime ring transported cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, then it was trucked across the border, where shipments were stored in stash houses in the Los Angeles area, Estrada said. Couriers are believed to have transported the cocaine to the U.S. east coast and Canada, Estrada told CBC. Estrada said it is believed Weddings and his organization moved 60 tons of cocaine around North America every year.
Estrada said Wedding would contract the killings of anyone that caused a threat to his criminal enterprise.
“This group was ruthless and violent,” he said.
He went on to say some of the alleged victims included a couple in their 50s that were innocent civilians killed in a case of mistaken identity in the quiet, rural community of Caledon, Ontario, Canada.
The DOJ said Clark and fellow Canadian Malik Damion Cunningham are also charged in connection with another homicide investigation in Ontario from April 2024.
Estrada alleges Hardeep Ratte and Gurpreet Singh, both residents of Ontario, were in charge of the transportation. (RELATED: Hollywood Stars Come Forward To Expose Celebrity Drug Ring: REPORT)
American law enforcement officials said several people charged in connection with this case are scheduled for court appearances in the coming weeks in Los Angeles, Michigan and Miami. Officials said 12 of the 16 accused have been arrested, according to CBC.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for any information that leads to Wedding’s arrest and extradition.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
