Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico and will be extradited to the US after years on the run, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Wedding, who had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking operation that moved tonnes of cocaine across international borders.
Wedding, 44, was also wanted on murder charges. US officials believe he was living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
The head of Canada's federal police, which assisted in the investigation, praised the operation during a recent press conference.
No single agency or nation can combat transnational organised crime alone, said Mike Duheme, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). We can finally say that our communities, our countries, are much safer with the arrest of Ryan Wedding, he added.
Wedding is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday.
He is accused of heading a vast drug trafficking operation responsible for importing around 60 metric tonnes of cocaine annually, and is said to have ordered multiple murders to maintain control over his enterprise.
The FBI had previously placed a $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest. Patel described him as a modern-day Pablo Escobar, highlighting the scale of his alleged criminal activities.
Before his arrest, Wedding was reportedly living in luxury, with Mexican authorities seizing racing motorcycles and other valuables worth millions. It's unclear how he managed to evade capture for so long, but reports suggest he may have turned himself in at the US embassy.
Wedding's numerous aliases include El Jefe and Public Enemy, and he has undergone plastic surgery to alter his appearance while evading law enforcement.
His arrest reflects a significant collaboration between law enforcement in the US, Canada, and Mexico to dismantle a formidable drug trafficking network.
