Former Olympian With Cartel Ties Now Charged With Ordering Killing Of a Witness Who Was Set To Testify Against Him

The Department of Justice is now offering $15 million to information that could lead to the capture of Ryan Wedding a former Canadian Olympian accused of working with the Sinaloa Cartel.

The DOJ unveiled new charges against Wedding, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying he is the "largest distributor of cocaine" in Canada. The new charges allege that wedding ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug-trafficking case. The killing took place in January at a restaurant in Colombia, according to U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Los Angeles Bill Essayli.

"Wedding collaborates closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, to flood not only American but also Canadian communities with cocaine coming from Colombia," Bondi said on Wednesday.

"His organization is responsible for importing approximately six metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semi trucks from Mexico," she added.

Regarding the killing, Essayli said that "Wedding placed a bounty on the victim's head in the erroneous belief that the victim's death would result in the dismissal of criminal charges against him and his international drug trafficking ring and would further ensure that he was not extradited to the United States."

Wedding was placed on the the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives earlier this year. Investigators believe Wedding is currently in Mexico but have not ruled out the possibility that he is in the U.S., Canada, or other countries in Latin America, as the BBC reported.

According to the FBI, Wedding is also known by several aliases, including "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King."

Wedding competed in the men's parallel giant slalom event for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing in 24th place.

Wedding faces several other charges i the U.S. Along with accomplice Andrew Clark, he was indicted in California in June 2024 on charges including running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder in connection with the enterprise, and conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine. Clark was arrested in October 2023 by Mexican authorities and was among 29 fugitives extradited to the U.S. last week.

According to the indictment, Wedding and Clark ordered the murders of two family members in Ontario, Canada, on November 20, 2023, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that had passed through Southern California. Another relative was critically injured but survived.

Additionally, the FBI alleges that Wedding and Clark arranged for the murder of another individual on May 18, 2024, over an unpaid drug debt.