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6d ago

Ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding Pleads Not Guilty in California to 17-Count U.S. Drug and Murder Case

He remains jailed without bail pending a Feb. 11 status conference.

This still photo taken from video and provided by the FBI shows Ryan Wedding a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder facing charges related to drug trafficking and the killing of a federal witness is taken off a plane at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.
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Ryan Wedding, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of becoming a cocaine smuggling kingpin linked to multiple drug-related murders, is escorted by FBI agents as he arrives handcuffed at Ontario International Airport, in California, U.S., January 23, 2026, in this screengrab taken from video. FBI/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 19: A reward poster for the arrest of Ryan James Wedding is visible following a news conference announcing the indictment of a former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, charging him with murder and money laundering in connection to a drug trafficking organization at the Justice Department on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Justice Department announced a fifteen-million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of Ryan James Wedding, the leader of a criminal drug organization who smuggled large quantities of cocaine through Colombia and Mexico for distribution in the United States and Canada. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Overview

  • He was taken into custody in Mexico City last week and transported to Southern California, with Mexican officials calling it a surrender and the defense insisting it was an arrest.
  • Prosecutors are proceeding on two indictments totaling 17 felonies, including a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and murder-related counts that could carry life in prison.
  • Investigators say the network moved roughly 60 metric tons of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada under alleged Sinaloa Cartel protection.
  • The counts include allegations that Wedding ordered multiple killings, among them a witness slain in Medellín in January 2025 and attacks in Canada in 2023 and 2024 tied to drug disputes.
  • Wedding had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list with a reward of up to $15 million, and authorities report arrests of dozens of associates and multimillion-dollar seizures of vehicles, motorcycles, artwork and cash.