Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug kingpin, has been arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the United States. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, Wedding had been evading authorities for years and was listed among the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
At 44 years old, Wedding is accused of masterminding a vast transnational drug trafficking operation that is believed to have brought in approximately 60 metric tonnes of cocaine annually across international borders, primarily to Canada.
The U.S. law enforcement officials have also charged him with murder, claiming he was living under the protection of the infamous Sinaloa drug cartel.
During a joint press conference, Patel thanked international partners for their role in the operation, including Canada's federal police, who assisted in the investigation. He praised the efforts to bring Wedding to justice, stating, No single agency or nation can combat transnational organized crime alone.
Commissioner Mike Duheme of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police remarked on the positive implications of Wedding's arrest for community safety.
Wedding's criminal activities reportedly rose after his release from a U.S. federal prison in 2011, where he was serving time for cocaine distribution. In addition to drug trafficking, authorities allege that he has orchestrated multiple murders across North America and Latin America.
The FBI had placed a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. However, it remains unclear how Wedding was apprehended, save for reports that he turned himself in at the U.S. embassy in Mexico.
Following his arrest, Mexican authorities confiscated valuable items from Wedding, including luxury racing motorcycles valued at $40 million. U.S. officials have emphasized that Wedding's operation had significant financial implications, bringing in an estimated $1 billion each year.
In a further development, the FBI also announced the arrest of another fugitive, Alejandro Castillo, wanted for murder. Castillo had been evading capture in Mexico for nearly a decade.
