Fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding’s drug ring still active in Canada, RCMP says
The notorious drug-trafficking network allegedly led by former Team Canada Olympian Ryan Wedding continues to operate in Canada, despite efforts to dismantle the cartel-linked organization, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Wedding, who was recently added to the FBI’s list of ten most-wanted fugitives, is accused of running a criminal enterprise worth $1 billion US. The network is said to have distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine across North America, and has been linked to at least four murders in Ontario.
Speaking at a news conference in London, RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather confirmed that elements of Wedding’s network are still active, with multiple ongoing investigations involving the RCMP, Toronto police, and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding represented Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games. He has been on the run from the RCMP since 2015 when he faced charges related to a cocaine-importing conspiracy.
In addition to the charges in Canada, Wedding was indicted in California last year along with 15 alleged accomplices, including nine other Canadians. The charges include drug-trafficking offenses and murder in connection with a criminal enterprise that used stash houses in the Los Angeles area.
The FBI has described Wedding as a dangerous individual, with alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million US for information leading to his arrest.
Authorities suspect that Wedding may be hiding in Mexico, Canada, the United States, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere. U.S. prosecutors believe he is still actively involved in drug trafficking while in hiding.
Despite being on the run, Wedding continues to pose a significant organized crime threat to Canada, according to Liam Price, the RCMP’s director general of international special services.
Wedding is known to use multiple aliases, including James Conrad King, Jesse King, El Jefe (“The Boss”), Public Enemy, Giant, and Grande. Court records from the 2015 RCMP investigation indicate that Wedding openly referred to himself as a cocaine importer.
Several of Wedding’s associates have been arrested, with some facing extradition to the U.S. His alleged right-hand man, Andrew Clark, was apprehended in Mexico and transferred to U.S. custody earlier this year.
Authorities are still searching for the gunman responsible for the murder of an Indian couple in Ontario, a crime that U.S. prosecutors believe was ordered by Wedding and Clark in a case of mistaken identity over a stolen cocaine shipment.
The RCMP and other law enforcement agencies continue to pursue Wedding and his associates, aiming to dismantle the drug-trafficking network and bring those responsible for the murders to justice.
