Former Olympic Snowboarder Arrested in Major Cocaine Trafficking Bust Linked to Cryptocurrency
US authorities have arrested Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, ending a years-long international manhunt. Wedding, 44, is accused of running a massive cocaine trafficking operation that used cryptocurrency to move and hide illicit profits, generating over $1 billion annually.
Arrest and Extradition
Wedding was apprehended in Mexico late Thursday and extradited to the United States on Friday. He had been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for years, with a reward of up to $15 million offered for information leading to his capture.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as a “onetime Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin,” facing federal charges including drug trafficking, murder, and operating a criminal enterprise spanning multiple countries.
FBI Director Kash Patel credited Mexican authorities for their cooperation in locating Wedding, who had been hiding in Mexico for over a decade, reportedly under cartel protection. Wedding voluntarily surrendered at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico before being handed over to the FBI.
The Alleged Cocaine Operation
Investigators say Wedding played a senior role in cocaine distribution networks tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, overseeing shipments from Colombia into the U.S. and Canada. At its peak, the operation allegedly brought in over $1 billion annually.
In November, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Wedding, citing his use of cryptocurrency to launder drug profits and obscure the flow of money from illegal activity.
Following his extradition, authorities seized firearms, luxury vehicles, artwork, and other assets linked to his alleged criminal enterprise. Officials have hinted that further arrests may follow.
Wedding’s Criminal History
This is not Wedding’s first run-in with US law enforcement. In 2008, he was arrested in California in a cocaine trafficking sting connected to a Vancouver-based operation, convicted in 2009, and served around four years in prison, being released in 2011.
Wider Crypto Crime Context
Wedding’s arrest comes amid growing concerns over crypto-linked crime. According to Chainalysis, illicit cryptocurrency addresses received a record $154 billion in 2025, a sharp jump from the previous year. In a separate case, a 23-year-old Brooklyn resident was charged with stealing roughly $16 million in cryptocurrency from Coinbase users through phishing and social engineering scams.
