<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><p>U.S. Authorities have arrested former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, bringing an end to a decade-long international manhunt and marking a turn of events of how an once elite athlete could turn into the mastermind of a large scale transnational crime syndicate.</p><div><div><blockquote><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><p>🚨 Breaking FBI most wanted: Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding's $1B Cocaine Empire Crumbles After Reckless Social Media Slip</p><p>From Salt Lake City slopes to Sinaloa shadows. Wedding evaded the FBI and deadlier ex-associates. But an Instagram post flaunting a… pic.twitter.com/Esrrd3AqVz</p></div>— Moon (@MoonCall) January 23, 2026</blockquote></div></div><p>U.S prosecutors has allege that Wedding evolved from an Olympic competitor into a senior figure within a cartel-linked cocaine trafficking network that relied on cryptocurrency to move and conceal illicit proceeds.</p><p>Wedding, 44, was taken into custody in Mexico late Thursday before being transferred to the United States on Friday, according to federal officials. His arrest follows years on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list and a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his capture.</p><p>Wedding represented Team Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, a credential that investigators say later afforded him international mobility and a degree of legitimacy uncommon among traditional organized crime figures. </p><p>U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding will face federal charges including drug trafficking, murder, and operating a criminal enterprise spanning multiple countries, describing him as a former Olympian who later became embedded in violent narcotics operations.</p><p>FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest, crediting sustained cooperation with Mexican authorities after more than ten years of efforts to locate Wedding. Officials believe he had been living in Mexico under cartel protection for much of that time while continuing to direct elements of the trafficking network.</p><p>Investigators allege Wedding played a senior role in cocaine distribution networks tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, overseeing shipments from Colombia into the United States and Canada. At its peak, U.S. officials say the operation generated more than $1 billion annually in illegal revenue.</p><p>In November, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Wedding, accusing his organization of using cryptocurrency to launder drug profits. </p><div><div><blockquote><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><p>The Ryan Wedding arrest and the timeline of events is wild. From the olympics to OFAC sanctions, top ten list at the @FBI , and now the arrest announced by @FBIDirectorKash . </p><p>Sanctioned crypto addresses across multiple blockchains (tron, solana, bitcoin, bnb, and eth) likely… pic.twitter.com/UYivvX9Tmv</p></div>— Joe McGill (@joes_mcgill) January 24, 2026</blockquote></div></div><p>Treasury officials said digital assets were employed to obscure transaction trails and conceal large sums derived from narcotics trafficking, reflecting a broader trend of organized crime groups integrating blockchain-based financial tools into their operations.</p><p>Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Wedding voluntarily surrendered at the U.S. Embassy before being handed over to the FBI. Wedding was flown to Ontario International Airport in Southern California, where federal authorities announced the seizure of firearms, luxury vehicles, artwork, and other assets linked to the alleged criminal enterprise. Officials indicated the investigation remains active and that additional arrests are possible.</p><p>Wedding’s arrest is not his first encounter with U.S. law enforcement. In 2008, he was detained in California in a cocaine trafficking case connected to a Vancouver-based operation. He was convicted the following year and sentenced to four years in prison, before being released around 2011.</p><p>Federal prosecutors are now expected to pursue a broader set of charges tied to transnational drug trafficking, financial crimes, and violent offenses. The case unfolds as regulators and law enforcement agencies continue to warn about the growing role of cryptocurrency in large-scale criminal networks. </p><div><div><blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">As part of the Giant Slalom investigative developments announced last week involving FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Ryan Wedding, and his associates, a rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR valued at $13 million was seized by the FBI. <br/>Wedding wanted poster: https://t.co/PCwWjFU578pic.twitter.com/aBBfVbbUfS</p>— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) November 25, 2025</blockquote></div></div><p>Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that illicit cryptocurrency addresses received an estimated $154 billion in 2025, underscoring the scale at which digital assets are now intersecting with global crime.</p><p>Supplementary disclosures from U.S. Treasury officials and court filings further detail the alleged financial architecture behind Wedding’s organization. Authorities say the network relied not only on cryptocurrency broadly, but on a coordinated, multi-chain laundering strategy spanning Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and BNB Chain. </p><p>Treasury sanctions issued in November linked Wedding and his associates to a web of crypto wallets and front entities designed to move and conceal proceeds at scale.</p><p>Prosecutors have pointed to the use of stablecoins as a transactional layer within the operation, citing documented USDT transfers tied to cocaine transactions. While officials have not released the full scope of onchain activity, they described the structure as consistent with an enterprise capable of supporting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine shipments across borders.</p><p>Beyond narcotics trafficking, federal prosecutors allege Wedding directed acts of violence connected to the organization’s operations. Court records accuse him of ordering the killing of a cooperating federal witness in Colombia in January 2025, as well as authorizing retaliatory shootings in Canada linked to stolen drug shipments. </p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://image.coinlive.com/cryptotwits-static/73c9358777e23cdaff3fe25f13af85a5.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="950" height="850" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://image.coinlive.com/cryptotwits-static/73c9358777e23cdaff3fe25f13af85a5.png"/></p><p>A superseding indictment unsealed in June 2024 charged Wedding with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, major drug trafficking offenses, and murder in connection with those activities. Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico City and transferred to the United States following coordination between U.S. and Mexican authorities. </p><p>Officials said he is expected to face federal court proceedings in the coming weeks, with prosecutors signaling that the case remains active and that additional charges or arrests tied to the alleged network are possible.</p></div></div></div>

<p>Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been arrested by the FBI for leading a transnational drug trafficking operation linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. His arrest follows a decade-long manhunt and comes after he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Wedding allegedly used cryptocurrency to launder drug profits, generating over $1 billion annually. He faces multiple federal charges, including drug trafficking and murder. The investigation continues, with further arrests anticipated as authorities address the growing intersection of cryptocurrency and organized crime.</p>

- U.S. authorities arrested former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, concluding a decade-long manhunt linked to his alleged leadership in a large cocaine trafficking network tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.  
- Wedding, who evaded capture for years, was captured in Mexico and faces multiple federal charges including drug trafficking and murder, while his organization reportedly generated over $1 billion annually through illicit activities using cryptocurrency for laundering.  
- The ongoing investigation indicates further legal actions might follow, including additional arrests connected to the extensive criminal operations involving digital assets.

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Former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding Arrested By The FBI For Running Transnational Crypto-Linked Drug Ring And Attempted Murder