U.S. federal authorities have dramatically increased the reward to $15 million for information leading to the capture of former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who officials allege masterminded a billion-dollar international drug trafficking network and orchestrated the assassination of a key federal witness. The 44-year-old fugitive, likened by investigators to a “modern-day Pablo Escobar,” is now among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted, with officials believing he is hiding in Mexico under the protection of the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
The significant escalation in the pursuit of Wedding was announced during a joint U.S.–Canada press conference this week, where investigators unveiled a new indictment detailing a transnational operation. The criminal enterprise allegedly served as Canada’s largest supplier of cocaine, generating over $1 billion annually.
Mass Arrests Target International Syndicate
The announcement accompanied a major crackdown on Wedding’s alleged associates, resulting in 10 arrests across two countries. Seven Canadian citizens were detained last Tuesday across Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, and face extradition proceedings to the United States on charges including drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities confirmed that an eighth suspect in Canada remains at large.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi detailed the chilling circumstances surrounding the murder of a federal witness who was set to testify against Wedding. The witness was shot dead in a Medellín, Colombia, restaurant in January 2025. Investigators claim Wedding arranged for the witness’s whereabouts to be compromised online, allegedly paying C$10,000 to post photographs of the target and his wife on a fabricated news website called The Dirty Newz in October 2024. The FBI has since dismantled the site. Authorities are still actively seeking the gunman and an accomplice who facilitated the escape.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the unprecedented scale of the fugitive’s alleged crimes, stating that Wedding is responsible for engineering a “narcotics trafficking and narco-terrorism enterprise on a scale not seen in years.”
Lawyer Allegedly Advised Murder
Among those recently apprehended is Canadian lawyer Deepak Balwant Paradkar. The U.S. Treasury Department accuses Paradkar of extending his services far beyond the bounds of normal attorney-client privilege, allegedly advising Wedding and a close associate to murder the federal witness to avoid extradition from Mexico. Paradkar allegedly received luxury watches and extra fees as payment for these illicit services.
Also arrested this week was 31-year-old Gursewak Singh Bal, the alleged co-founder of The Dirty Newz website used to compromise the witness’s location. The multiple charges outlined against Wedding in the newly unsealed indictment include murder, money laundering, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation and tampering.
Authorities firmly believe Wedding remains in Mexico, and they continue to pursue unidentified individuals who were directly involved in the witness’s killing. The substantial reward increase underscores the commitment of North American law enforcement agencies to dismantling this sophisticated, high-level criminal operation.
The pursuit of Ryan Wedding serves as a stark reminder of the global reach and violence associated with top-tier organized crime, even involving figures who once held prominent public profiles. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI.