Once an Olympic athlete who represented Canada on the world stage, Ryan Wedding is now a ghost, a fugitive whose face stares out from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. The man who competed in the snowboarding parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City is alleged to have traded the slopes for a life of extreme crime, becoming a ruthless crime boss with ties to Mexican criminal organizations.
An international manhunt, now centered in central Mexico, is underway for the former Olympian, with the U.S. government offering a staggering reward for information that leads to his capture. As of November 19, 2025, the reward has been raised to $15 million amid new indictments and arrests tied to witness intimidation.
Authorities describe Wedding as the leader of a sophisticated transnational criminal organization responsible for shipping large quantities of illegal substances and powerful synthetic drugs across North America. The FBI alleges that his network is also responsible for orchestrating multiple fatal incidents to protect its operations, including a couple from India who were victims of violence in Ontario in a case of mistaken identity. Despite a recent, confirmed sighting in Mexico City and a targeted social media campaign by the FBI, Wedding continues to evade capture, reportedly protected by the powerful transnational crime group.
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From Olympic Glory to Alleged Crime Lord
Ryan James Wedding’s story is a dramatic fall from grace. Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, he was a natural athlete from a young age. He took up snowboarding at 12 and quickly rose through the competitive ranks, winning a medal at the Junior World Championships before earning a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, he competed in the men’s parallel giant slalom, though he finished in 24th place. Those who knew him from his racing days recalled his fearless attitude on the slopes, a trait that perhaps foreshadowed his later life.
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
After his athletic career, Wedding’s life took a dark turn. He eventually became involved in a large-scale criminal enterprise, first with a massive illegal agricultural operation and later expanding to illegal substances. By 2025, U.S. authorities had unsealed indictments accusing him of leading a major criminal organization. They allege he works with the transnational crime group, using his wealth and connections to coordinate the movement of hundreds of kilograms of drugs from South America through the United States to Canada. His organization is also accused of employing highly sophisticated and ruthless methods, including ordering dozens of deaths in several countries to eliminate rivals and silence threats.
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The International Manhunt for a Fugitive
The hunt for Ryan Wedding is a top priority for multiple international law enforcement agencies. He was officially added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March 2025, and the U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. This is one of the largest rewards ever offered, highlighting the seriousness with which authorities are pursuing him.
Investigators have reason to believe he is hiding in Mexico. In early 2024, Wedding was recorded meeting with a confidential informant at a Starbucks in Mexico City. Furthermore, a photo released by the FBI from 2024 was geolocated to a hotel in the city’s Santa Fe business district, confirming his recent presence in the area. As a result, the FBI has launched a targeted social media campaign in the State of Mexico, which surrounds Mexico City, hoping to generate new leads from residents who might have information on his whereabouts.
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Despite these efforts and the arrests of several key associates, including his alleged second-in-command, Wedding remains at large, a wealthy and dangerous fugitive believed to be deeply embedded in the shadowy world of cartel-protected organized crime.
