Former Olympic snowboarder on FBI's most-wanted list is arrested in Mexico, faces drug charges

ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, a top FBI fugitive accused of moving some 60 tons of cocaine from Latin America into the United States annually and orchestrating several killings, was arrested in Mexico and then flown to California, officials said Friday.

Wedding, 44, turned himself in Thursday at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City. FBI Director Kash Patel said his arrest came after U.S. investigators worked with authorities in Mexico, Canada, Colombia and the Dominican Republic for more than a year.

Officials say Wedding moved cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Canada and Southern California, and they believe he was working under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful drug rings. Authorities said his aliases included “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy” and “James Conrad Kin.”

“He’s the modern-day El Chapo,” Patel told a news conference in California, comparing Wedding to the legendary former Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is imprisoned in the U.S. after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.

Wedding was previously convicted in the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to prison in 2010, federal records show. He now faces charges related to running a multinational drug trafficking ring as well as the killings of a federal witness and three other people.

It was not immediately known if Wedding had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. He had no lawyers listed in federal court records for the cases pending against him.

U.S. authorities believe the former Olympian, who competed in a single event for his home country in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, had been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade before his apprehension.

Wedding was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list last March, and authorities had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

“When you go after a guy like Ryan Wedding, it takes a united front, and that’s what you’re seeing here,” said Patel, who declined to give details about the arrest. He praised Mexico’s government and “global partnerships” for their roles in the operation.

Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch wrote on X earlier Friday that a Canadian citizen had turned himself in at the U.S. embassy. A member of Mexico’s Security Cabinet later told The Associated Press that individual was Wedding. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Wedding is expected to appear in federal court Monday, said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI field office in Los Angeles.

Davis said 36 people have been arrested in connection with the drug ring Wedding is accused of running, and authorities seized large volumes of drugs, weapons and cash, as well as millions of dollars worth of automobiles, motorcycles, artwork and jewelry from Wedding and others charged in the case.

Wedding was indicted in the U.S. in 2024 on federal charges of running a criminal enterprise, murder, conspiring to distribute cocaine and other crimes.

The indictment says Wedding ran a billion-dollar drug trafficking group that was the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada. The group obtained cocaine from Colombia and worked with Mexican drug cartels to move drugs by boat and plane to Mexico and then into the U.S. using semitrucks, the indictment said. It said the group stored cocaine in Southern California before sending it to Canada and other U.S. states.

The murder charges accuse Wedding of directing the 2023 killings of two members of a Canadian family in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, and for ordering a killing over a drug debt in 2024.

Last November, Wedding was indicted on new charges of orchestrating the killing of a witness in Colombia to help him avoid extradition to the U.S.

Authorities said Wedding and co-conspirators used a Canadian website called “The Dirty News” to post a photograph of the witness so he could be identified and killed. The witness was then followed to a restaurant in Medellín in January and shot in the head.

Wedding's arrest was also applauded in Canada, where he faces separate drug trafficking charges that date back to 2015. Gary Anandasangaree, Canada's minister of public safety, called it “a significant step forward” in an international fight against illegal drugs.

Patel identified a second apprehended fugitive as Alejandro Rosales Castillo, a 27-year-old U.S. citizen charged with murder in the 2016 killing of a North Carolina woman. He also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. According to the FBI, Castillo was arrested a week ago in Mexico.

Mexico has increasingly sent detained cartel members to the U.S. as the country attempts to offset mounting threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said last month U.S. forces “will now start hitting land” south of the border to target drug trafficking rings.

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia, and Watson reported from San Diego.

Associated Press journalists Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer and Mike Balsamo in Washington, and Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City contributed to this story.

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference about the arrest of former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding on multinational drug trafficking charges in Ontario, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Michael Duhemespeaks speaks at a news conference about the arrest of former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding on multinational drug trafficking charges in Ontario, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP PHoto/Amy Taxin)

FILE - An image of former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who is a fugitive and been charged with allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation, is displayed on a video monitor along with bricks of cocaine, foreground, during a news conference at the FBI offices in Los Angeles, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - An FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Ore., Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

A PWHL official said Wednesday that there have been constructive conversations in potentially teaming with the NHL's Ottawa Senators to secure its women's hockey franchise a long-term future in the Canadian capital.

The discussions center on the Ottawa Charge playing home games at the Senators' arena, the Canadian Tire Centre, PWHL senior VP of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press. The Charge’s future is in Ottawa is uncertain beyond this season due to the city going ahead with renovations that will reduce the team’s current home’s capacity by about 2,000 seats.

“We’ve got a long ways to go to figure out where we are for the future of Ottawa, but the relationship with the Senators has blossomed,” Scheer said during a video conference call.

She referred to Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder as being “a gem to work with.” Scheer and league officials also met with Senators owner Michael Andlauer while attending the women’s tournament at the Milan Cortina Games last month.

The PWHL has already established a partnership with the Senators, with the Charge scheduled to play Montreal at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 3.

“The game is selling really well, so hopefully that’s the first of a really positive road for us to skate down,” Scheer said.

Leeder looked forward to the Senators hosting the game, and further discussions with the PWHL.

“We can confirm we’ve had positive dialogue with the PWHL and the Ottawa Charge, which is consistent with our desire to grow the game for women, men and youth in our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” Leeder said in a statement the Senators released to the AP.

The Charge were one of the PWHL’s original six franchises, and have spent the first three seasons playing at the city’s centrally located TD Place, which is also home to the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67s. The aging facility has a capacity of about 8,500 for hockey but the renovation will reduce seating to about 5,700, with an additional 900 standing-only spots.

The PWHL said the cuts make it financially unfeasible to stay at the arena. The Charge averaged about 7,000 fans per outing over the first two seasons, with that number jumping to 7,225 over the team’s first nine home games this year.

Scheer previously said the league was exploring all options, including the possibility of relocation. “We will not go backwards,” Scheer said in November.

The PWHL expanded to eight teams this season, with plans underway to add 2-4 teams for next season.

The Senators' home arena is located about a 40-minute drive outside of downtown. The team, however, is in the early planning stages of building a new home closer to downtown.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Ottawa Charge's Kathryn Reilly, left, celebrates her teammate Alexa Vasko's goal during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Charge's Fanuza Kadirova (centre) spins around as she celebrates her goal on Seattle Torrent goaltender Hannah Murphy (83) during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)