The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Thursday, March 6 that 43-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been placed on the FBI’s infamous “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, with a reward reaching $10 million.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, the FBI, along with federal, local, and international law enforcement partners, revealed the latest “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list and also called on the public to help provide clues on fugitives suspected of operating transnational drug trafficking groups and being involved in murder cases.
Wedding, the latest addition to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, was born on September 14, 1981 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. He goes by aliases such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King,” and “Jesse King.”
Standing at approximately 190.5 cm (6 feet 3 inches) tall and weighing 108 kg (240 pounds, subject to change), Wedding has brown hair, blue eyes, and may have a small beard. In 2002, he represented Canada as a rising skiing star at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. However, four years later, his name appeared in a search warrant for a large-scale marijuana grow-op in British Columbia.
In 2008, Wedding was sentenced to four years in prison in Los Angeles for attempting to purchase 24 kilograms of cocaine. Upon release, he moved to Montreal, where he was soon again accused of involvement in drug activities.
Wedding is currently wanted for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking network and masterminding multiple murder cases and an attempted murder case.
FBI Senior Special Agent Andrew Innocenti told NTD reporters, “This group regularly traffics tons of cocaine. The drugs originate from Colombia, are packaged and transported in Mexico, pass through Los Angeles, and are then distributed to cities in Canada and the United States.”
Investigators point out that Wedding is ruthless, greedy, and extremely dangerous. He is believed to possibly be residing in Mexico, but his whereabouts could also include the United States, Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere.
To capture Wedding, the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has announced a $10 million reward to incentivize the public to provide tips and assist law enforcement agencies in apprehending him.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Office stated, “Wedding is very dangerous, suspected of murdering competitors. With his inclusion in the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and the substantial reward offered by the Department of State, the public will become our partners in detaining him before he poses a threat to more people.”
Innocenti added, “With the recent executive orders, it is more important than ever to search criminal networks and bring fugitives to justice.”
Last June, the Central District of California Court charged Wedding and his accomplice, 34-year-old Canadian Andrew Clark, with drug trafficking, murder, and conspiring to export cocaine. Clark was arrested by Mexican authorities last October. Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 29 fugitives were extradited from Mexico to the United States, including Clark.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles alleged in a superseding indictment submitted in September of last year that Wedding and Clark’s organization had committed multiple murders to achieve their goals. It is said that on November 20, 2023, in Ontario, Canada, Wedding and Clark planned a shooting that resulted in the deaths of two innocent family members and one member sustaining 13 gunshot wounds but surviving.
The indictment stated that on May 18 of the previous year, Wedding and Clark also ordered the murder of another victim due to drug debts. Upon capture, both face mandatory federal life imprisonment at the very least.
The FBI urges anyone with information on Wedding’s whereabouts to contact the FBI through WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, call the local FBI office, the nearest US embassy or consulate, or submit tips on the FBI website. The FBI promises to maintain confidentiality for anyone providing information.
The “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list was established in 1950 for individuals with extensive and serious criminal records or considered a significant threat to society. Inclusion on the list is not hierarchical.
So far, a total of 535 fugitives have been listed, with 496 arrested or located, and 137 captured with public assistance.
Currently, the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list includes nine males; the only female is Ruja Ignatova from Bulgaria, who defrauded investors of billions of dollars through cryptocurrency and is listed as a global fugitive by the FBI.