An Olympian turned alleged drug kingpin ordered a hit on a federal witness by publishing pics of him online — before he was gunned down a restaurant, US Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed Wednesday.
Ryan Wedding, 44, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Winter Olympics, allegedly shared the photographs of the witness who was due to testify against him on a now-deleted website called “The Dirty News,” after he was indicted in 2024, Bondi said at a Wednesday news conference in DC.
The witness was shot dead in a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia, on Jan. 31, according to the feds, as the Department of Justice charged Wedding with two additional counts of witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering and drug trafficking.
Wedding, who is listed as one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives, is also accused of being one of the world’s biggest drug kingpins.”He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world,” Bondi said.
Wedding allegedly smuggled 60 metric tons of cocaine into the US every year via semi trucks crossing into Southern California from Mexico, according to Bondi.
“Ryan Wedding and his associates allegedly imported tons of cocaine each year from Colombia through Mexico and onto the streets of US communities. His criminal activities and violent actions will not be tolerated, and this is a clear signal that the FBI will use our resources and expertise to find Ryan Wedding and bring him and his associates to justice,” FBI Director Kash Patel said at the press conference Wednesday.
The reward for his capture was upped to $15 million from $10 million on Wednesday by the State Department.
Ten defendants have been arrested and 11 total are in custody following the arrests on Tuesday as part of “Operation Giant Slalom,” the investigation into January’s murder of a federal witness.
They include seven Canadians, one Colombian, and a 36-year-old from Orlando, FL, who is a legal permanent resident of Colombia.
Wedding, who believed to be living in Mexico, is accused of working closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to authorities.
“The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California told the press conference.
“This week’s arrests underscore our resolve to root out and punish the wrongdoers involved in this criminal organization and serve as a warning for drug lord Ryan Wedding: If convicted, you will never see the outside of a prison ever again,” he added.
