Ryan James Wedding, a former member of the Canadian Olympic snowboard team, is identified by U.S. authorities as the alleged leader of an international drug trafficking organization.
Wedding—a 44-year-old Canadian, born on September 14, 1981—allegedly resides in Mexico and has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since March 2025, the State Department reported.
Authorities identify him by a long list of aliases used to operate and evade the law, including: “James Conrad King,” “Jesse King,” “El Jefe,” “El Toro,” “Mexi,” “Public Enemy,” “Giant,” “Grande,” and “El Coco,” as well as various alphanumeric codes used in encrypted communications.
He is currently charged with leading a criminal organization, as well as murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. A $15 million reward is offered for information leading to his capture.
A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding participated in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, where he finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom. In the following years, his name surfaced in drug-related investigations.
In 2010, he was sentenced to four years in prison in the United States after attempting to buy cocaine from an undercover agent. After serving his sentence, he established residency in Mexico.
According to documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wedding is considered responsible for coordinating a network dedicated to the importation and distribution of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Authorities maintain that his group had operational ties to a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The investigation indicates that this organization moved large quantities of drugs annually via maritime and land routes and operated with collaborators in several countries.
He faces charges of leading a criminal organization, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to possess, distribute, and export cocaine.
On November 19, 2025, U.S. authorities unsealed a nine-count federal indictment against Wedding and 18 co-defendants. Among the charges is the alleged murder of a cooperating witness in a narcotics case opened in 2024.
The victim was Jonathan Acebedo-García, identified as a former member of the organization. He was attacked and killed in a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia, in January 2025. According to the indictment, Wedding allegedly offered a reward and coordinated efforts to locate him through intermediaries.
The 18 co-defendants include:
-Deepak Balwant Paradkar, a Canadian criminal lawyer, accused of advising on measures to prevent Wedding’s extradition.
-Gursewak Singh Bal, co-founder of the website “The Dirty News,” accused of publishing a photograph of the witness.
-Edwin Basora-Hernández, a Dominican musician, accused of providing the victim’s contact information.
The indictment also mentions his alleged involvement in the murder of two people in Caledon, Ontario, in November 2023, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment.
A federal indictment unsealed on November 19, 2025, names him as the one who ordered the murder of Jonathan Acebedo-García, a former member of his group and a cooperating witness. (-/AFP)
The case has led to Operation Giant Slalom, coordinated between the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Colombian National Police, and U.S. law enforcement agencies. Ten of those implicated have already been arrested in various countries.
The State Department has increased the reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture to $15 million and is offering up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest of those directly responsible for the witness’s murder.
In addition, the Treasury Department has imposed financial sanctions on Wedding and nine associates to restrict their access to the U.S. financial system.
According to the State Department, if arrested and convicted, Wedding could face life imprisonment in a federal prison.
Source: expansion
