Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding has been charged by the FBI for running a drug smuggling operation that transported large amounts of narcotics across borders and resulted in the deaths of four people. Wedding, who represented Canada in the Winter Olympics in 2002 and currently lives in Mexico, is considered an armed and dangerous fugitive. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his arrest.
Wedding is one of 16 defendants indicted in California for operating a transnational drug trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine through the Americas. The gang’s leaders were responsible for multiple murders in relation to their drug crimes. Wedding and another Canadian citizen living in Mexico, Andrew Clark, face life in prison if convicted of the charges against them.
The gang allegedly transported large amounts of cocaine from Mexico to southern California and then to Ontario, Canada using long-haul semi-trucks. They reportedly stored the drugs in stash houses before delivering them to couriers for transportation. Wedding and Clark are accused of orchestrating the killing of two individuals in Ontario in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment.
Law enforcement authorities have seized over a ton of cocaine, firearms, ammunition, cash, and cryptocurrency during the investigation. The DEA in Los Angeles has highlighted the violent consequences of the gang’s activities, mentioning that Wedding went from being an Olympic athlete to leading a life of crime. Wedding and Clark are expected to face trial along with other gang members in Los Angeles, Michigan, and Miami.
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