Ex-Olympian turned drug baron arrested, FBI saysAFP, LOS ANGELESRyan Wedding, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, has been arrested in Mexico and brought to the US to face cocaine trafficking and murder charges, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Friday. Patel said Wedding — whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy” — was arrested on Thursday night in Mexico City. Patel said Wedding is believed to have been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade, and has been wanted on cocaine trafficking and murder charges since 2024. Seven people allegedly connected to Wedding’s cocaine smuggling operation were arrested in Canada in November last year, including his lawyer, Deepak Paradkar, and the US is seeking their extradition. Wedding competed for Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom.

Source: Taipei Times January 24, 2026 16:02 UTC