Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Added To FBI Ten Most Wanted After New Photos Released

Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who competed in the 2002 Winter Games, is now the subject of an international manhunt after being placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.

New Images Renew Search

On Dec. 8, the FBI’s Los Angeles office posted a recently obtained photograph on X showing Wedding shirtless and lying in bed; investigators believe the image was taken in Mexico this past summer and that the man pictured is 44-year-old Wedding. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico also posted a separate photo showing him with a buzzcut and scruffy facial hair standing before a gray wall.

FBIRyan James Wedding

Federal Allegations and Indictment

The FBI in Los Angeles says Wedding is accused of "running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States." A nine-count federal indictment announced by the U.S. Department of Justice in November alleges that Wedding also orchestrated multiple murders to further the trafficking enterprise.

“Make no mistake about it: Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He’s a modern-day iteration of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” FBI Director Kash Patel said during a November press briefing.

Prosecutors allege one count relates to ordering the killing of a federal witness earlier this year; reports indicate the witness was executed before they could testify. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has described the operation as generating more than $1 billion annually in illicit proceeds and called it among the most prolific and violent trafficking organizations.

FBIRyan James Wedding seen in a poster for the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives

Where Authorities Say He Is And Reward

Federal officials say they believe Wedding is living in Mexico and collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel to move cocaine into U.S. and Canadian communities. The U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering up to $15 million for information that leads to his arrest and/or conviction.

If you have credible information, law enforcement asks you to contact the FBI. No charges have been proven in court; Wedding is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Background: Wedding represented Canada as a competitive snowboarder at the 2002 Winter Olympics and later — according to federal authorities — became involved in organized drug trafficking.