The FBI has released a new photo showing former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding’s lion chest tattoo as the $15 million manhunt intensifies for America’s most wanted drug kingpin who allegedly ordered witness murders to protect his Sinaloa Cartel cocaine empire.
Story Highlights
- FBI releases new 2024 selfie photo of Ryan Wedding showing distinctive lion tattoo to aid public identification
- Reward increased to $15 million, reportedly the highest on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list
- Former 2002 Olympian accused of running dominant cocaine distribution network in Canada with Sinaloa Cartel
- Federal charges include ordering murder of witness days before testimony and multiple cartel-related killings
Olympic Athlete Becomes America’s Most Wanted
Ryan James Wedding’s transformation from Olympic snowboarder to alleged global drug kingpin represents one of the most shocking criminal cases in recent memory. The 43-year-old Canadian competed in men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, representing his country on the world’s biggest stage. Federal prosecutors now describe him as controlling “one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world,” working closely with Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel to flood North American markets with cocaine.
Wedding’s alleged criminal enterprise spans multiple countries, moving multi-ton cocaine shipments from Colombia through Mexico into the United States and Canada. The Department of Justice characterizes him as the dominant cocaine distributor in Canada, controlling wholesale supply networks that fuel addiction and violence across communities. This represents exactly the kind of transnational criminal operation that undermines American security and prosperity, exploiting porous borders and weak enforcement to poison our neighborhoods.
Witness Murder Campaign Exposes Cartel Violence
Federal indictments reveal Wedding’s alleged willingness to use extreme violence to protect his operation, including ordering the execution of witnesses cooperating with U.S. authorities. On January 31, 2025, key federal witness Jonathan Acebedo Garcia was murdered in a Medellín, Colombia restaurant just days before his scheduled testimony against Wedding. This calculated assassination demonstrates the ruthless tactics cartels employ to obstruct American justice and intimidate those brave enough to cooperate with law enforcement.
The indictment also alleges Wedding directed the November 2023 murders of two individuals in Mexico and ordered the killing of a married couple who were mistakenly targeted due to misidentification. These innocent victims represent the collateral damage of organized crime violence that increasingly spills across borders. The willingness to murder civilians shows how cartel operations threaten not just those directly involved in drug trafficking, but entire communities caught in the crossfire of this criminal enterprise.
FBI Intensifies Manhunt With New Photo Evidence
The FBI’s release of Wedding’s 2024 selfie, believed taken in Mexico during summer 2024, marks a significant escalation in the manhunt effort. The photo clearly shows Wedding shirtless with a distinctive lion tattoo on his chest, providing law enforcement and the public with updated identifying features. This tactical move demonstrates how seriously federal authorities treat this case, using every available tool to mobilize public assistance in locating this dangerous fugitive.
Wedding remains at large, likely hiding in Mexico under cartel protection and using multiple aliases to evade capture. The $15 million reward represents an unprecedented commitment to bringing this criminal to justice, reflecting both the scale of his alleged crimes and the threat he poses to American communities. Ten co-conspirators have been arrested, but Wedding’s continued freedom allows him to potentially order more violence and continue his destructive operations. This case exemplifies how foreign-based criminals exploit weak international enforcement to attack American interests while hiding behind corrupt protection networks.
Sources:
Ryan James Wedding – U.S. Department of State
