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Authorities captured Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned international drug trafficker who ran his empire on crypto.
Author: Sahil Thakur
25th January 2026 – Authorities captured Ryan James Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned international drug trafficker, ending a ten-year search led by the FBI. Wedding’s arrest in Mexico City, after he turned himself in, reportedly at the U.S. embassy marks the dramatic fall of a man once celebrated for his athletic achievements but later wanted for running a violent transnational cocaine empire.
High Signal Summary For A Quick Glance
Albert
@Lakeshow_323
Ryan Wedding turned himself in last night at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City. Ryan was hiding in Mexico for nearly a decade. He was on the top 10 FBI’s most wanted list https://t.co/MufdQHsM5k
11:11 PM·Jan 23, 2026
Moon
@MoonCall
🚨 Breaking FBI most wanted: Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding's $1B Cocaine Empire Crumbles After Reckless Social Media Slip From Salt Lake City slopes to Sinaloa shadows. Wedding evaded the FBI and deadlier ex-associates. But an Instagram post flaunting a https://t.co/Esrrd3AqVz
06:03 PM·Jan 23, 2026
The FBI announced Wedding’s arrest as a breakthrough in one of its most prolonged fugitive pursuits. Wedding, known by aliases such as “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy,” allegedly led a multi-billion-dollar cocaine trafficking operation closely linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, Wedding’s enterprise trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California, ultimately reaching markets in the U.S. and Canada. Authorities also connected him to several murders—including the 2025 assassination of a federal witness in Medellín, Colombia, for which he allegedly paid $500,000 via an encrypted platform.
The FBI had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture, making it one of the agency’s highest-profile manhunts in recent history.
Wedding’s journey began far from the world of organized crime. As a professional snowboarder, he represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and previously medaled at the Junior World Championships in 1999 and 2001. However, after a 2008 arrest in San Diego for attempting to purchase 24 kilograms of cocaine, his life took a darker turn.
Following a 48-month sentence and release in 2011, Wedding allegedly founded his own criminal network. He soon expanded into a global narcotics empire, coordinating shipments by air, sea, and land across the Americas. Authorities say his organization laundered billions in drug proceeds through cash, shell companies, and increasingly, cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency played a central role in Wedding’s laundering operations. His network reportedly used stablecoins like Tether (USDT), distributing large sums across multiple blockchain wallets to obscure the origin of funds. Investigators identified wallet activity across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and BNB Chain, with millions transferred through what officials called a “sophisticated Tether network.”
In one documented instance, the cartel converted crypto into 2 million Colombian pesos to finance a 300-kilogram cocaine shipment. Other transfers included a 17,300 USDT payment directly tied to cartel operations.
The U.S. Treasury Department responded with aggressive sanctions in November 2025, freezing 12 crypto addresses and designating nine individuals and nine front companies associated with Wedding’s network. Blockchain analysis firms worked with law enforcement to track and disrupt these transactions.
Beyond drug trafficking, Wedding’s enterprise used violence to protect its operations. Authorities have linked him to numerous murders across Canada, Colombia, and Mexico, including:
Key players in Wedding’s network included:
Authorities say the cartel ran front companies across Mexico, Canada, and Italy, further enabling global money laundering and asset concealment.
Wedding’s legal troubles began formally in 2024. He then had a sealed indictment charged him and deputy Andrew Clark with drug trafficking and murder. Subsequent superseding indictments named over 18 co-conspirators.
In December 2025, Mexican authorities raided Wedding’s properties, seizing over $40 million worth of assets, including:
The arrest followed the extradition of Andrew Clark in late 2024. He is scheduled to stand trial in February 2026.
Wedding’s case is part of a larger trend in which digital assets are being used to facilitate cross-border crime. The DOJ recently charged a Venezuelan national in a separate $1 billion laundering scheme involving crypto.
According to Chainalysis, illicit crypto addresses received at least $154 billion in 2025, up 162% from the previous year. The surge in blockchain-based crime has intensified scrutiny from regulators and law enforcement alike.
Wedding now faces trial in the U.S. on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, and witness tampering. Meanwhile, authorities continue to unravel the remnants of his network. With 36 arrests already made, prosecutors say additional charges and extraditions are likely.
His dramatic fall serves as a stark warning about the intersection of crime, technology, and global finance and how even Olympic dreams can turn into nightmares.
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