The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding, now one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, for allegedly running a violent cocaine-trafficking empire from hiding in Mexico. U.S. officials say his network moved multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Mexico into the U.S. and Canada while ordering murders across North and Latin America.
According to U.S. authorities, Wedding used cryptocurrency and a web of front companies to launder drug proceeds into high-end assets around the world, including luxury cars and motorcycles. His organization allegedly relied on corrupt protection in Mexico, a prostitution ring that helped track and eliminate witnesses, and even tactical training camps that prepared hitmen for contract killings. Investigators say the network’s purchases included a 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR worth $13 million, which the FBI has seized as part of its effort to dismantle Wedding’s finances. All designated targets are now cut off from the U.S. financial system under Executive Order 14059.
