Ryan Wedding captured: $15M manhunt ends for Olympian turned drug kingpin
ONTARIO, Calif. - Former Olympian snowboarder Ryan James Wedding has been captured in Mexico, months after U.S. authorities launched a $15 million manhunt.
Ex-Olympian captured in Mexico
Former Olympian Ryan Wedding has been captured in Mexico, ending a $15 million manhunt tied to murder and international drug trafficking charges.
What we know:
In November, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wedding was indicted on murder, money laundering and drug trafficking charges connected to a transnational criminal enterprise that generates billions of dollars annually.
Federal investigators said Wedding’s organization, which works closely with the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel, is responsible for importing about 60 metric tons of cocaine into the United States from Mexico each year.
The 44-year-old is also accused of killing a U.S. federal witness who was gunned down in a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia, before he could testify against Wedding.
PREVIOUS: $15 million manhunt: Ex-Olympian-turned drug kingpin Ryan Wedding charged with murdering US witness
The following month, dozens of Wedding’s motorcycles were seized by Mexican authorities.
Authorities believe Wedding, who speaks both English and Spanish, was protected by the Sinaloa Cartel.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dozens of motorcycles belonging to wanted fugitive Ryan James Wedding seized by Mexican authorities
Dig deeper:
Last year, Wedding was placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.
RELATED: Ryan Wedding, ex-Olympian-turned drug kingpin, added to FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list
"Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada," said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, in March 2025. "The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger."
What's next:
Federal authorities are set to announce his capture Friday at Ontario International Airport in Southern California.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and Mexican authorities, along with court records and official statements from federal investigators.