The Trump administration announced a $15 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of former Canadian Olympic athlete Ryan James Wedding, the alleged leader of a cross-border drug trafficking enterprise.
Officials from the Justice, State, and Treasury departments, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Wednesday that Wedding remains at large as both the American and Canadian governments continue a search for him, particularly in Mexico, where authorities believe he may be hiding out due to his alleged work with the Sinaloa Cartel.
“This is a billion dollars a year of drugs that he is charged with being responsible for,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said about the former Olympian while at a press conference in Washington. “He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world. He is currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada.”
🇺🇸 #EEUU | Un ex atleta olímpico ingresó a la lista de los 10 fugitivos más buscados por el #FBI: la recompensa por su captura.
— CadenaSé.com (@CadenaSeCom) March 7, 2025
El canadiense Ryan James Wedding compitió en snowboard durante los Juegos Olímpicos de Salt Lake City 2002 y ahora es intensamente buscado.
Las… pic.twitter.com/wGc91BieL2
FBI Director Kash Patel announced an additional indictment of others who were arrested in connection with Wedding’s alleged drug-running scheme, bringing the total to 36 indictments.
“Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar, is a modern day iteration of El Chapo Guzman,” Patel said Wednesday. “This Justice Department and this FBI will work with our Canadian counterparts and the government officials across the world to bring him to justice. He is responsible for engineering a narco trafficking and narco terrorism program that we have not seen in a long time.”
Wedding is responsible for importing $1 billion worth of cocaine from Mexico into the United States and Canada annually, according to Bondi.
The US Department of State offers a reward of up to $15 million for info leading to the arrest &/or conviction of #FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan James Wedding, wanted for allegedly running & participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation: https://t.co/YyLpIU4Nmi pic.twitter.com/3DdiopiL9W
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) November 19, 2025
Wedding’s alleged smuggling organization is believed to have imported 60 metric tons of cocaine per year through Los Angeles by semi-trucks, a figure equivalent to the weight of 40 standard cars, Bondi added.
The former Olympian has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and DOJ officials said they hope that the decision to have the State Department raise the reward amount to $15 million from $10 million will incentivize the public to be on the lookout for Wedding.
‘LIES, SMEARS, AND AI DEEPFAKES’: DHS TACKLES FAKE NEWS ABOUT ICE
The latest indictment includes people who are believed to be involved with the murder of a witness, according to State Department official Chris Lamberg.
“In January 2025, Wedding allegedly ordered the murder of a U.S. federal witness in Medellin, Colombia,” Lamberg said. “In addition to our focus on taking down Wedding, we are offering rewards up to $2 million each for information leading to the unknown assassins responsible for that January 2025 murder.”
