Ryan Wedding, Canadian Olympian
and accused drug lord
Up until Thursday, some people may have heard Ryan Wedding’s name but most were probably unaware of his existence.
The Canadian Olympian caught the world’s attention when the FBI alleged that he was the head of a cocaine ring and had been ordering hits in his home country from afar.
In the indictments, it was alleged that the cocaine ring he was involved in was moving 60 tonnes of cocaine per year.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against 16 people on Thursday, including 10 Canadians in connection to a case it had dubbed Project Slalom.
Most have been arrested across North America, aside from Wedding and one other Canadian man.
Here is what we know so far about Wedding:
Salt Lake City Olympics
While Wedding was born in Thunder Bay, Ont., he was a resident of Coquitlam, B.C., when he suited up for his country at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002.
He competed in the Parallel Giant Slalom, finishing in 24th place, well behind the leaders.
Initial fall from grace
In a release Thursday, the DOJ said the 43-year-old had been arrested in 2010 in California as part of a drug bust.
They did not say how long he served in connection with that case but they believe he resumed trafficking after he was released and had been protected by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, which was formerly run by Juan (El Chapo) Guzman.
RCMP and Halifax charges
Back in 2015, RCMP held a news conference in Halifax announcing that they had charged 15 people. including Wedding. after a two-year drug trafficking investigation.
At the time, they said that Operation Harrington had covered cocaine that was being imported into Canada from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and the United States.
They said police had seized more than 200 kilograms of cocaine, as well as, weapons and vehicles as a a result of the operation.
They also issued a warrant for the arrest of Wedding, who was said to be from Montreal at the time, on two counts of conspiracy to import cocaine, two counts of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, one count of trafficking in cocaine.
On Thursday, RCMP Chief Superintendent Chris Leather told reporters in Los Angeles that those charges “are unresolved.”
“El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy”
On Thursday, American officials alleged that Wedding was the lead defendant, as they announced charges against 16 people.
The former Canadian Olympian was said to be heading up a cocaine ring for the past 13 years which was said to be a billion-dollar enterprise. The group was moving 60 tonnes of cocaine a year through Mexico and into Southern California before it was distributed into Canada and throughout the U.S.
Wedding and another Canadian, Andrew Clark, were also said to have ordered several hits in Ontario, one of which resulted in the deaths of a couple from Caledon. Police said the two victims were innocent and it was a case of mistaken identity.
The DOJ said he currently resides in Mexico, where his known aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy.”
On the lam
While Clark, who is known as ‘The Dictator’ in Mexico, has been arrested in that country, Wedding remains on the run.
The FBI has offered a US$50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and extradition to the United States.
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