Canadian ex-Olympic athlete Ryan James Wedding, wanted by the FBI for drug trafficking and murder, voluntarily surrendered on January 22 at the US Embassy in Mexico. He will be extradited to the United States to appear in court in Los Angeles on January 26. Officials from both countries highlight bilateral cooperation in the operation.
Ryan James Wedding, 44, ex-snowboarder who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, surrendered on the night of January 22 at the US Embassy in Mexico. According to Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch, Wedding was one of two priority targets handed over to FBI Director Kash Patel, who visited Mexico that day to meet with him. Ambassador Ronald Johnson confirmed the voluntary surrender resulted from joint pressure by Mexican and US authorities, involving SSPC, FGR, the Department of Justice, and the FBI.
Wedding faced charges since 2024 for cocaine trafficking, money laundering, murder, and assaults on witnesses. Accused of leading a transnational network moving tons of cocaine from Colombia, via Mexico, to the United States and Canada, with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Chapitos. The FBI compared him to Pablo Escobar and 'El Chapo' Guzmán; Patel stated: “Make no mistake, Ryan Wedding is the modern version of Pablo Escobar. He is the modern version of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán”. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the detention as an FBI operation result, though Harfuch stressed the voluntary surrender, creating contrasting versions.
Prior to capture, Wedding hid in Mexico for over a decade after fleeing Canada in 2011, where he coordinated shipments for Sinaloa. In 2010, he was sentenced to 48 months for attempting to transport 24 kilos of cocaine. In November 2025, the reward for his capture rose to $15 million. December saw seizures in Mexico City and Mexico State: 62 motorcycles valued at $40 million, Olympic medals, drugs, and vehicles. Associates like Rolan Sokolovski and Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Flores were sanctioned for laundering and criminal ties. The operation, named Giant Slalom, neutralized ten collaborators in November 2025. This arrest, the sixth of the FBI's 'Top 10' in a year, underscores Mexico-US cooperation against drug trafficking.
