Canada – The story of former Canadian athlete Ryan Wedding has become one of the world’s most sensational criminal cases. His dramatic trajectory from Olympic skier representing his country to accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking network has made him the target of one of the largest international manhunts.
The FBI considers Wedding one of the world’s most wanted fugitives. US authorities have offered a substantial reward of $15 million for information leading to his capture. His life story is expected to be adapted into a feature film soon.
From sporting snow to illegal “snow”
Wedding, 44, who was born in Canada, reached the peak of his athletic career at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. That was as a member of the Canadian national figure skating team.
Although his career was not crowned with medals, his name disappeared from the sports world only to reappear later in investigative records. His first legal troubles began in 2008 when he was arrested in California for attempting to purchase quantities of cocaine, a case that ended with a court ruling sentencing him to nearly three years in prison.
International fugitive under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel
In 2015, Canadian police charged Lueding in a major cocaine trafficking case in Montreal. However, he managed to escape and flee to Mexico.
Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice has designated him an “international fugitive.” Available information confirms that he is in Mexico under the protection of members of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most notorious criminal organizations. This protection has helped him evade several attempts to capture him.
A massive smuggling network and comparisons to “El Chapo”
Official indictments accuse Lloyd of leading a smuggling network that transported massive quantities of drugs, primarily cocaine, into the United States.
U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi estimated that the Wedding network was suspected of importing up to 60 tons of cocaine annually into Los Angeles, in addition to potential involvement in smuggling fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. The FBI director went so far as to compare Wedding to notorious drug kingpins like Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Accused of murder and protected witness
The US investigations included more serious suspicions about Wedding’s involvement in multiple murders in several countries, including an accusation that he ordered the killing of a protected witness who was about to testify against him in a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia.
Following the incident, authorities announced the arrest of ten people in connection with the case. Among them is his former lawyer, whom the investigation accuses of advising on the witness—an accusation the defense team denies.
On the list of the ten most dangerous
In March 2025, the FBI officially added Ryan Wedding to its list of the ten most wanted fugitives in the United States.
The US State Department confirmed its intention to pursue him, saying in an official statement: “No one is above the law, even if he is a former Olympic athlete.”
