Ryan Wedding pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges accusing him of running a billion-dollar drug trafficking enterprise and directing multiple killings. The former Canadian Olympic snowboarder made his first U.S. court appearance since his arrest in Mexico last week and transfer to Southern California.
Wedding, 44, competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. U.S. authorities say he later built a criminal network that moved massive quantities of cocaine across the Americas and operated under the protection of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
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He was ordered to be held in custody after a brief hearing in federal court in Santa Ana, California. A judge said he could not find conditions that would ensure public safety or guarantee Wedding’s appearance in court.
Prosecutors allege transnational cocaine operation
Federal prosecutors say Wedding moved as much as 60 tons of cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Canada, and Southern California. Court filings describe a supply chain that sourced cocaine in Colombia, moved it to Mexico by boat and plane with the help of cartel partners, then smuggled it across the U.S. border and stored it in Southern California’s Inland Empire before distribution to Canada and other U.S. states.
Authorities say Wedding’s organization became the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada. A 2024 indictment in Canada lays out separate drug charges dating back to 2015.
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Ryan Wedding placed 24th in the men’s giant parallel slalom competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Wedding was previously convicted in the United States of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and served a federal prison sentence that ended in 2011. Prosecutors say he later founded what they describe as the Wedding Criminal Enterprise.
Murder charges tied to drug disputes and witness killing
The U.S. indictment accuses Wedding of directing the 2023 killings of two members of a Canadian family in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. Prosecutors also say he ordered a killing over a drug debt in 2024.
Last year, Wedding was charged with orchestrating the killing of a witness in Colombia to prevent extradition to the United States.
Wedding now faces multiple drug conspiracy counts and four counts tied to murder and attempted murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.
Arrest follows international manhunt
Wedding had been living in Mexico for more than a decade, according to U.S. authorities. He was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list last March, and the State Department offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Mexican officials said Wedding turned himself in at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City last week after a yearlong joint effort involving law enforcement agencies from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
Wedding’s defense attorney, Anthony Colombo, disputed that account outside the courthouse Monday. “He was arrested,” Colombo said. “He did not surrender.” Colombo said his client had been living in Mexico and was not hiding there.
The judge scheduled Wedding’s next court appearance for February 11. A trial date has been set for March 24.
