FBI Arrests Former Olympic Snowboarder Linked to Major Cocaine Trafficking Case Involving Cryptocurrency

US authorities have apprehended former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, concluding a lengthy international manhunt for an individual whom investigators label as a key cocaine trafficker utilizing cryptocurrency to manage and obscure illegal earnings.

Key Takeaways:

Ryan Wedding, a former Olympian, was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the US after being on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for years.
Authorities accuse him of operating a cocaine network linked to cartels and laundering the proceeds using cryptocurrency.
US officials claim the operation generated over $1 billion annually and spanned several countries.

Wedding, age 44, was taken into custody in Mexico late Thursday and was brought to the United States the following day, according to US officials.

The ex-athlete represented Team Canada during the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City. He had been among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives, with a reward of up to $15 million offered for information leading to his arrest.

FBI Arrests Former Olympic Snowboarder and Top Cocaine Trafficker in Crypto-Linked Case

Legal Troubles Intensify for Former Olympian Snowboarder

US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Wedding, whom she referred to as a “once Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin,” is facing federal drug trafficking charges, as well as charges related to murder and operating a criminal enterprise across multiple countries.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest via a post on X, attributing the successful location of Wedding after more than a decade on the lam to the cooperation with Mexican authorities.

Authorities allege that Wedding played a significant role in cocaine distribution networks associated with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, directing shipments from Colombia into both the United States and Canada.

US officials report that the operation peaked at generating over $1 billion annually in illegal profits.

In November, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Wedding, accusing his organization of using cryptocurrency to facilitate and disguise drug-related profits.

According to the Treasury Department, digital assets were utilized to obscure financial flows and conceal large amounts derived from drug trafficking operations.

Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, indicated that Wedding voluntarily surrendered at the U.S. Embassy before being transferred to the FBI.

Patel later informed the media that Wedding had been hiding in Mexico for over a decade and was believed to have been under cartel protection.

Following his extradition, Wedding arrived on Friday at Ontario International Airport in Southern California, where federal officials held a press conference.

Authorities announced the seizure of firearms, luxury vehicles, artwork, and other assets linked to the alleged criminal organization, while also hinting that more arrests could be forthcoming as the investigation progresses.

Prior Legal Issues of Ryan Wedding

This isn’t the first time Wedding has encountered the US justice system. In 2008, he was arrested during a cocaine trafficking operation in California that involved a Vancouver-based network.

He was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to four years in prison but was released around 2011.

This arrest occurs amid rising concerns about crime associated with cryptocurrency. Chainalysis reported that illicit cryptocurrency addresses received an unprecedented $154 billion in 2025, marking a significant increase compared to the previous year.

In a related incident, US prosecutors have charged 23-year-old Brooklyn resident, Ronald Spektor, with stealing approximately $16 million in cryptocurrency from about 100 Coinbase users through a suspected phishing and social engineering scheme.