Over the course of two decades,Ryan James Weddingwent from a promising snowboarder competing in the Olympics to someone who officials have said is one of the most violent and ruthless criminals in the world, responsible for orchestrating murders and running a billion-dollar cocaine cartel.
FBI Director Kash Patel compared the 44-year-old — whose nicknames include "El Jefe," "Public Enemy" and "Giant" — to Pablo Escobar and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Wedding is accused of ordering a hit on a witness in the U.S. government's case against him and enlisting assassins to murder rival traffickers.
Court documents say that Wedding's crime spree began in 2008, six years after his failed Olympic debut. They detail the alleged dark journey of a young man in his 20s, who got into trouble following a drug deal gone wrong, to a callous criminal on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
It's believed that Wedding is hiding in Mexico and is being protected by the cartel, federal officials said at a Wednesday news conference, announcing a $15 million reward for information that leads to his arrest and/or conviction.
'From shredding powder ... to distributing powder'
Wedding was born inThunder Bay, Canada,a small city on the north shore of Lake Superior surrounded by wilderness and the Nor'Wester Mountains. It's known for outdoor activities and breathtaking scenery. His parents were wealthy,Los Angeles Magazine reported, and his grandparents owned Mount Baldy ski resort in Thunder Bay. It was at the resort where Wedding learned to shred, according to the magazine.
In 2002, he represented Canada at theWinter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. He didn't perform his best, placing 24th in the parallel giant slalom event. With his Olympic debut failing to lead to fame and fortune, Wedding turned to a life of crime.
"Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada," Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in a Marchpress release.
'I guess I lost my way'
In 2008, federal prosecutors said Wedding traveled to San Diego with two other men to buy cocaine, court documents show. The dealer they had arranged to meet with was working undercover for the FBI. They were arrested, and Wedding's case went to trial in November 2009.
In opening statements, Wedding's lawyer painted him as someone who had been "duped by an experienced drug dealer and career criminal," according to court documents. The lawyer said Wedding was made out to be the "main guy."
A jury found him guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to the court documents. At his sentencing in May 2010, Wedding apologized to the court and his family for his "stupid and irresponsible decisions" and said the idea of making easy money had lured him, even though he didn't need the money.
"I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway," he said, according to a transcript of the hearing.
"In the past 24 months I've spent in custody, I've had an opportunity to see firsthand what drugs do to people, and honestly, I'm ashamed that I became a part of the problem for years," he said. "I guess I lost my way."
The judge was so moved by Wedding's apparent remorse that he imposed a lighter sentence, court records show. He was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, but with time served, he was released in December 2011.
Wedding's regret was apparently short-lived. After his release, he founded his criminal drug enterprise, federal law enforcement said in an indictment unsealed Wednesday, charging him with murder, witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering and drug trafficking.
Largest distributor of cocaine in Canada
In Wednesday's unsealed indictment, law enforcement detailed how Wedding's organization, working with members of Mexican drug cartels, allegedly used boats and planes to move hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. The organization then began using semitrucks to smuggle the drugs across the border from Mexico to its "hub" in Southern California, the indictment said. The cocaine would then be transported to Canada and other states, federal officials said.
At the Wednesday news conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding's organization is responsible for importing about 60 metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles.
"He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world," she said. "He is currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada."
The indictment said Wedding's organization "promoted a climate of fear" and is known for retaliating against rival drug traffickers, targeting people Wedding considered enemies and putting out hits on people cooperating with law enforcement.
He allegedly put out a "multimillion dollar bounty" on a federal witness who was going to testify against him in a criminal case, according to the indictment. Wedding is alleged to have used a now-defunct Canadian website to post pictures of the witness and his wife to locate him, officials said.
The witness was shot and killed in January at a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia, before he could testify, the Justice Department said in anews release.
Wedding is also alleged to have enlisted the services of a Canadian-based assassin crew to kill another victim and directed the murders of two members of a family in Canada in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, according to the press release. A third family member survived the attack but was left with serious injuries.
The wife, the 'General' and the attorney
Several people, including Wedding's wife, are alleged to have contributed to his reign of terror, the U.S. Treasury Department said in anews release.
Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, known as "the General," allegedly provides protection for Wedding in Mexico, according to the release. Officials said Vazquez is believed to be a former Mexican law enforcement officer and uses law enforcement sources to find targets for Wedding.
Wedding's wife, Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno, allegedly launders money for him and "has helped him conduct acts of violence," the department said.
A Canadian attorney named Deepak Balwant Paradkar allegedly provides what officials say is a "range of illegal services" that fall outside of the scope of a typical attorney. He is alleged to have helped Wedding with bribery and murder and introduced him to his drug traffickers, the Treasury Department said.
Paradkar, 62, was arrested Tuesday.