The FBI is intensifying its hunt for a former Olympic snowboarder who is alleged to be the head of a cocaine trafficking ring.
The FBI announced Wednesday that it has increased its reward to $15 million for the capture of Ryan Wedding, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Wedding is alleged to be leading one of the largest drug trafficking operations in the world.
The US Department of State offers a reward of up to $15 million for info leading to the arrest &/or conviction of #FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan James Wedding, wanted for allegedly running & participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation: https://t.co/YyLpIU4Nmi pic.twitter.com/3DdiopiL9W
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) November 19, 2025
Wedding, 44, was already on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, with his previous bounty set at $10 million. It was increased as Wedding was accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness who was planning to testify against him.
Officials said Wednesday that Wedding is on par with notorious drug traffickers such as Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar. His organization is estimated to have trafficked 60 metric tons of cocaine per year. Authorities believe he is living in Mexico, and have sought to cut him off from his financial accounts in the United States.
Wedding was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and served four years in prison. The FBI placed him on their most wanted list in March.
Wedding competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. He finished 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom.
