Mexico seizes Olympic medals in haul linked to Ryan Wedding

by · Mail Online

The authorities in Mexico claim to have seized a mysterious and money-spinning haul including meth, ammunition and Olympic medals in raids seemingly linked to Ryan Wedding.

The former snowboarder, who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, is now among the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives.

Wedding, 44, is accused of leading a billion-dollar drug-smuggling operation and orchestrating several murders. 

He has been wanted by the FBI since October 2024 and there is now a $15million reward for his arrest. 

Wedding, who was labelled a 'modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar,' is believed he is living in Mexico under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

Wedding remains at large but, in a significant development over Christmas, operatives in Mexico launched a series of raids across four properties around Mexico City.

Ryan Wedding is a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug lord
Wedding represented Canada during the Winter Olympics in 2002 but he did not win a medal
Wedding is wanted by the FBI and there is now a $15million reward for his arrest

Among the items seized were 62 motorbikes, two vehicles, two Olympic medals, methamphetamine, marijuana, works of art, and ammunition.

It is not clear who the medals belong to, given Wedding finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom at his sole Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. 

The US Treasury Department recently claimed Wedding has built a 'complex web' of assets to hide his wealth, using luxury cars, motorcycles, properties, cryptocurrency and front businesses

In total, Wedding has been charged with eight felonies, including three counts of murder and one count of attempt to commit murder.

At a press conference last month Kash Patel, the FBI director, labeled him a 'modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar' who he said was responsible for 'engineering a narco trafficking and narco terrorism program that we have not seen in a long time.'

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the drug kingpin 'controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world.'

The FBI also released a new photo of Wedding that is believed to have been taken in Mexico over the summer. 

Among the items seized by the Mexican government were 62 motorbikes and Olympic medals
Works of art taken by the Mexican authorities as part of the raids linked to Wedding

The authorities have also said there is ‘some evidence’ Wedding had undergone cosmetic surgery to alter his appearance and further evade detection.

Earlier this week, meanwhile, a court in Canada granted $5.25m bail to a lawyer accused of helping Wedding's alleged drug-trafficking operation.

Deepak Paradkar, 62, was arrested in November amid allegations that he advised Wedding to kill a key witness.

Paradkar is facing extradition to the United States, where he could be sentenced to live behind bars if found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit murder.