Ryan Wedding Went From the Olympics to an Alleged Drug Trafficking Ring — What Happened?
"He chose to become a major drug trafficker and he chose to become a killer."
Published Oct. 21 2024, 5:23 p.m. ET
In 2002, Ryan James Wedding represented Canada in the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah. He placed 24 overall in the parallel giant slalom. While he didn't take home a medal, it's an incredible feat to make it to the world's foremost sports competition.
Unfortunately, things seemed to go downhill from there, and we aren't referring to snowboarding.
Eight years after he went to the Olympics, Wedding was convicted of trying to buy cocaine from a United States government agent. He was subsequently sentenced to four years in prison. According to Global News, after Wedding was released he fled to Mexico and embedded himself in the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, which was formerly run by Juan (El Chapo) Guzman.
As of October 2024, the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest. Where is he now? Here's what we know.
Where is Ryan James Wedding now? Law enforcement is looking for him.
Wedding, along with 15 other men, has been charged with "leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. During a press conference, Estrada said, "Instead of using the privileges that come with being an Olympic athlete to do good for people, he did the opposite. He chose to become a major drug trafficker and he chose to become a killer."
The Olympian is also a fugitive.
The 43-year-old former snowboarder is the lead defendant in the case but was working alongside 34-year-old Andrew Clark. On Oct. 8, 2024, Clark was arrested by Mexico law enforcement.
Per the indictment, Wedding and Clark shipped massive amounts of cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles where the "cocaine trafficking organization’s operatives would store the cocaine in stash houses, before delivering it to the transportation network couriers for transportation to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks."
Wedding's coach told the Toronto Star that he was shocked by Wedding's alleged criminal activity. "I only remember good things," Christian Hrab told the outlet. While in court for his 2010 drug charge, Wedding said he "knew it was wrong and I did it anyway."
He went on to say that he was ashamed of the part he played in selling drugs to people, especially after seeing what drug addiction can do to people. Unfortunately, Wedding did not hold onto that sentiment.
Ryan Wedding and Andrew Clark have also been accused of orchestrating multiple murders.
The FBI believes Wedding and Clark are behind "three Ontario murders, including a double homicide in Caledon that left Jagtar Singh Sidhu, 57, and Harbhajan Kaur Sidhu, 55, dead and their daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, critically injured after gunmen stormed their rental home looking for someone else and their family," per the Toronto Star.
In May 2024, Wedding and Clark allegedly ordered the murder of someone who evidently owed them money.
During this investigation, law enforcement seized more than one ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 in United States currency, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.
If convicted, Wedding and Clark face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges. They could also receive life in prison for the criminal enterprise charges. The drug trafficking charges could land them in prison for 10 to 15 years.
