The global manhunt for Ryan Wedding has intensified as authorities ramp up efforts to track down the disgraced former Olympian accused of running a billion-dollar narco empire.
Once a professional snowboarder who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Wedding is now one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives, per The Sun.
At 44 years old, he's been branded a “modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar” by FBI Director Kash Patel, and is allegedly behind a vast drug trafficking and murder operation that’s shocked even veteran law enforcement.
Wedding is believed to have been hiding out in Mexico since 2015 and is reportedly being protected by the notorious Sinaloa cartel. The FBI is offering up to $15 million for information that leads to his arrest.
Raids across Mexico target suspected properties
On Christmas Day, Mexican authorities confirmed they had launched a string of raids targeting “a former Olympic athlete who is among the 10 most wanted fugitives by US authorities.”
While they didn’t officially name Wedding, he's the only Olympic athlete currently on the FBI’s top 10 most-wanted list.
The raids, which spanned four properties across Mexico City and the State of Mexico, involved the Mexican navy, national guard, and the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR). According to CBC, this was part of a collaborative effort with U.S. law enforcement.
Among the items seized: 62 high-end motorcycles, two vehicles, methamphetamine, marijuana, ammunition, artwork, and a trove of documents.
Officers also found two Olympic medals, though it's unclear who they belong to. Wedding didn’t win any medals during his athletic career - he placed 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom in 2002.
Authorities believe the seizures are a major blow to Wedding’s alleged criminal network.
"Despite the fact that they didn’t capture Ryan Wedding in these raids, this is a significant step in that it shows that Mexican authorities are taking this seriously now and that they are making efforts to locate Ryan Wedding and attack his organization," said Ken Gray, a former FBI agent and senior lecturer at the University of New Haven, speaking to CTV News.
Accused of narco-terrorism, mass killings, and trafficking
The former snowboarder was added to the FBI’s most-wanted list in March after being accused of running a criminal enterprise responsible for trafficking 60 metric tonnes of cocaine from Mexico to Canada every year via California.
Wedding is alleged to have built a “narco-trafficking and narco-terrorism program” that the U.S. authorities say they “have not seen for a long time.”
The charges against him include multiple murders, such as the killing of an FBI informant earlier this year and the fatal shooting of a couple near Toronto who were reportedly targeted by mistake.
“Make no mistake, Ryan Wedding is extremely dangerous,” said Akil Davis, assistant director leading the FBI’s LA field office. “He’s extremely violent, and he’s extremely wealthy. We will find him, and we will bring him to justice.”
Authorities are 'closing in'
Earlier this month, a new photograph surfaced that is believed to show Wedding at a property in Mexico during the summer. While he remains at large, former FBI agent and federal prosecutor M. Quentin Williams said the situation is evolving fast.
“They’re closing in on [Wedding],” Williams said. “They’re closing in on his location.”
The investigation has already linked several luxury assets to Wedding’s network. In November, a rare $13 million Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR roadster was seized.
The car had reportedly been purchased by Rolan Sokolovski, a Toronto jeweller who authorities say is one of Wedding’s top money launderers.
The FBI and Mexican officials say the operation to capture Wedding remains active and ongoing.