U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel presented their case on Wednesday against Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic athlete who they claim evolved into a prominent international drug kingpin. Bondi and Patel conducted a press briefing in Washington, D.C., accompanied by RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme.
Wedding, a suspected Canadian drug lord who represented Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, is featured on the FBI’s top 10 most-wanted list. Bondi disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed additional charges against Wedding, including witness tampering, money laundering, and drug trafficking.
Describing Wedding as the head of a major drug trafficking syndicate, Bondi detailed his alleged involvement in orchestrating the murder of a federal witness through a website named “The Dirty News.” The victim, identified as Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, was fatally shot in a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia, before testifying against Wedding.
The U.S. State Department has raised the reward for Wedding’s capture to $15 million USD. Wedding is accused of smuggling 60 metric tons of cocaine yearly into Los Angeles via trucks from Mexico. The investigation has led to the indictment of over 35 individuals, with the recovery of more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine, weapons, cryptocurrency valued at $3.2 million, and physical assets totaling $13 million.
FBI director Kash Patel likened Wedding to a modern-day version of notorious drug lords Pablo Escobar and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, urging the public to report any information on the suspect. Patel emphasized Wedding’s involvement in a sophisticated drug-trafficking and terrorism scheme.
Authorities warned that Wedding, standing at six feet four inches and weighing around 230 to 250 pounds, may alter his appearance to evade arrest. Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles division, urged the public to assist in identifying and locating Wedding.
RCMP Commissioner Duheme noted the successful cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies but emphasized that their mission is ongoing. In a recent operation, seven Canadians linked to Wedding’s criminal organization were arrested by the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police.
One of the detainees, Atna Onha, also known as Tupac or 2-Pac, faces charges related to murder, cocaine trafficking, and potential extradition to the U.S. Onha allegedly acted as a hired assassin within Wedding’s criminal enterprise, facilitating the murder of Acebedo-Garcia. Another detainee, Edwin Basora-Hernandez, is accused of providing contact information to aid in locating the victim for the murder plot. Additionally, Canadian lawyer Deepak Paradkar was arrested for allegedly advising Wedding on the witness’s murder to prevent extradition from Mexico.
The arrests mark a significant step in the ongoing effort to dismantle Wedding’s criminal network, which authorities describe as a billion-dollar-a-year enterprise posing a grave threat to public safety.
[Source](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bondi-patel-ryan-wedding-ohna-briefing-9.6984421)