The FBI has unveiled a new photo of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned fugitive, accused of operating a vast, transnational drug trafficking network. The recently surfaced image, showing Wedding focused on his phone while at a restaurant, marks a sharp contrast to the clean-shaven, cap-wearing image of the 2002 Olympian in Salt Lake City, Utah. Agents believe this new image was taken in 2024, according to FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller.
Wedding, 43, is wanted on eight felony counts in California, including murder linked to his alleged role in a billion-dollar criminal operation. Authorities claim the network orchestrated at least four homicides in Ontario, with violent actions reportedly directed by Wedding himself. He had placed 24th in the parallel giant slalom for Canada but has since allegedly become involved in high-level criminal activity, including the import of 60 tons of Colombian cocaine annually through Mexico and into North America.
“Ruthless and violent, this group hired contract killers to remove any threats to their operation,” said Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.
Wedding has been eluding authorities since 2015, despite a $50,000 reward offered by the FBI. He is suspected to have connections in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, where he may currently be hiding.
In addition to his drug trafficking allegations, Wedding faces murder charges for the tragic deaths of Jagtar and Harbhajan Sidhu, who were mistakenly targeted in a Caledon, Ontario, home invasion. Their daughter Jaspreet survived after being shot 13 times. The brutal nature of these crimes has drawn significant media attention, particularly as four of Wedding’s Canadian associates await extradition hearings in Ontario.
As the FBI gathers intelligence on Wedding’s whereabouts, this latest image adds another layer to the ongoing investigation into one of Canada’s most notorious fugitives.
Source: Swifteradio.com