Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian citizen living in Mexico, has been charged with running a drug smuggling operation that allegedly shipped large amounts of narcotics across borders and resulted in the deaths of four people, according to the FBI.
Wedding, also known by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” is considered an armed and dangerous fugitive and is wanted for multiple charges, including running a transnational drug trafficking operation, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine.
The big picture: Mexican police have arrested another Canadian citizen, Andrew Clark, who is accused of involvement in the drug trafficking operation and remains in custody. Both men face life in prison if convicted.
- The drug trafficking operation, which involved a total of 16 defendants, allegedly shipped large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to southern California and then to Ontario, Canada, using a transportation network that included long-haul semi-trucks.
- Wedding and Clark are also accused of orchestrating the killing of two individuals in Ontario in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, as part of the alleged criminal activities.
Go deeper: Authorities have seized significant amounts of cocaine, firearms, ammunition, U.S. currency, and cryptocurrency during the investigation, indicating the scale and impact of the drug trafficking operation.
