From Olympic slopes to underworld: FBI hunts fugitive snowboarder
The American Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced a reward of $50,000 (CAD 69,000) for assistance in capturing Ryan James Wedding. The Canadian competed in the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Ryan James Wedding was born in Thunder Bay, Canada. At a young age, he began training in snowboarding, which led him to compete in the parallel slalom at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. At the age of 21, he finished in 24th place in this competition.
The following years of his life were no longer connected with sports. In 2010, he was sentenced to four years in prison for the first time, which did not deter him from further criminal activities.
On the contrary, Ryan Wedding is currently wanted by the American Federal Bureau of Investigation and faces serious charges. He allegedly led an organized crime group involved in large-scale cocaine smuggling and is also responsible for the murder of four people.
When the Olympian stopped associating his future with sports, he moved to Mexico. There, he allegedly organized cocaine smuggling from Colombia, through California, to other regions of the United States and Canada.
The now 43-year-old Ryan Wedding is hiding from law enforcement and the justice system. On Thursday, the FBI issued an arrest warrant for the former athlete. "He chose to become a major drug trafficker, and he chose to become a killer," American media quoted Martin Estrada, a prosecutor from the state of California.
A high financial reward will be given for helping capture and extradite the criminal. The FBI has offered $50,000 (CAD 69,000) for information leading to Ryan Wedding's whereabouts. A photo has appeared online, and it's clear that he looks entirely different than he did two decades ago at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.
