FBI Director Kash Patel says “sixth” Ten Most Wanted capture in a year as Wedding is transported stateside

THUNDER BAY / WASHINGTON — Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder born in Thunder Bay, has been taken into custody in Mexico and is being transported to the United States to face federal charges tied to an alleged transnational drug trafficking enterprise and related violence, U.S. officials announced Friday.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Wedding — who had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list — was apprehended Thursday night in Mexico and was en route to the U.S. Patel credited specialized FBI resources, including the Hostage Rescue Team, Critical Incident Response Group, and aviation units, describing their work as key to bringing the case to this point.

In a separate statement reported by U.S. media, Patel also characterized Wedding as the sixth Ten Most Wanted fugitive captured within the last year, framing the arrest as a warning that fugitives “have no safe harbor.”

Mexican officials, speaking to The Associated Press, said a Canadian citizen turned himself in at the U.S. embassy and that person was Ryan Wedding.

From Thunder Bay to Team Canada

Wedding’s name is familiar to sports fans in Northwestern Ontario. The Canadian Olympic Committee lists Wedding as born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and notes he competed for Canada at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics in men’s parallel giant slalom, finishing 24th.

That Olympic résumé became a recurring reference point for investigators when Wedding later surfaced in major U.S. and Canadian organized-crime probes. In March 2025, the FBI said Wedding “went from” Olympic snowboarding to allegedly running a cocaine pipeline across borders, naming multiple alleged aliases including “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy.”

What U.S. authorities allege

U.S. law enforcement has described Wedding as the alleged leader of a network that moved hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, into Canada and other U.S. destinations.

Wedding’s inclusion on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list in 2025 was accompanied by a U.S. State Department reward offer of up to $10 million for information leading to his capture. By the time of this week’s arrest, officials said the reward had reached $15 million.

Federal prosecutors also allege Wedding’s organization used intimidation tactics and violence to protect the enterprise, including an allegation that a federal witness in Colombia was killed before the witness could testify. (These allegations have not been proven in court.)

A prior U.S. conviction — and why investigators say he re-emerged

Wedding was previously convicted in the United States in a cocaine distribution conspiracy and sentenced in 2010, and that prosecutors later alleged he resumed trafficking after release, operating from Mexico with protection tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.

In a 2025 FBI release, the agency said Wedding was wanted not only for drug trafficking allegations but also for orchestrating multiple killings and an attempted killing “in furtherance of these drug crimes.”

What happens next

With Wedding now in custody and being moved to the United States, the case shifts from manhunt to court process: initial federal court appearances, detention hearings, and the prosecution’s effort to prove the indictment allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Reuters reported Patel was scheduled to appear alongside Canadian and U.S. officials to discuss developments.

Wedding faces separate drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015, according to the RCMP.

Why this matters in Northwestern Ontario

For Thunder Bay and the wider region, Wedding’s story is a jarring reminder that major cross-border drug investigations can have roots in small communities — and that trafficking networks described by U.S. authorities are often tied to the same substances driving addiction and enforcement pressures across Northwestern Ontario.

The arrest may also renew attention on how international supply routes intersect with Canadian distribution corridors.