Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Pleads Not Guilty to Drug, Murder Charges

The former Olympian, who competed for Canada in 2002, is charged with cocaine trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder, and witness tampering.

An image of former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who was a fugitive at the time, is displayed on a video monitor along with bricks of cocaine (foreground) during a news conference at the FBI offices in Los Angeles, on Oct. 17, 2024. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding pleaded not guilty to all charges at his first appearance in federal court in California on Jan. 26.

Wedding has been charged with conspiracies to import cocaine into the United States, commit murder, and launder money, among other charges.

Prosecutors allege that Wedding, a Canadian, operated a “billion-dollar drug trafficking operation” and was the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada, which was smuggled through the United States.

Wedding appeared at the federal district court in Santa Ana, California, for his arraignment, which was his first court appearance.

The indictment alleges that Wedding’s criminal enterprise manufactured cocaine in Colombia, smuggled it into Mexico via boats and planes, and then on to the United States over the border through semi-trucks.

It was then shipped from Southern California to Canada, as well as other U.S. states, the indictment states. The indictment was first issued by a grand jury on July 18, 2024.

Wedding turned himself in to authorities at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Jan. 23.

“After seeking guarantees for a fair process, I have decided to voluntarily turn myself in to the authorities,” Wedding wrote on Instagram, captioning a picture of him standing outside the embassy.

“I am confident the truth will come to light and set me free.”

He was on the FBI’s list of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives in the world. A $15 million reward was offered for information leading to his capture.

U.S. law enforcement officials described Wedding as the equivalent of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar, two of the biggest drug traffickers in the Americas.

Guzman was also apprehended and prosecuted by the United States, which convicted him and sentenced him in 2019 to life in prison.

Ten of Wedding’s co-defendants were arrested on Nov. 19, 2025, in a multinational operation. They were charged with the same offenses.

FBI Director Kash Patel touted the success of the operation to bring Wedding to the United States.

“This was a zero-margin, high-risk operation. Our FBI [Hostage Rescue Teams] executed with precision, discipline, and total professionalism alongside our Mexican partners to bring Ryan James Wedding back to face justice,” Patel wrote on social media on Jan. 23.

“One of the most dangerous criminals in the world is now off the streets,” Patel added.

Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Shortly after Wedding’s apprehension, the FBI also extradited another suspect on the Ten Most Wanted List, Alejandro Castillo, to the United States from Mexico.

Reuters contributed to this report.