A timeline of key events leading up to the arrest of Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding
Written by The Canadian Press on January 23, 2026
U.S. authorities have announced the arrest of former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who is accused of running an international drug ring and ordering the murders of several people.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the 44-year-old Wedding, originally from Thunder Bay, Ont., was arrested in Mexico after a yearslong manhunt and he will be tried on numerous charges in a U.S. federal court.
Here’s a timeline of some of the key events in the Wedding saga.
February 2002
Wedding competes for Canada in the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where he finishes 24th in the parallel giant slalom.
June 13, 2008
Wedding and two other Canadians are arrested in an FBI setup in San Diego and charged with conspiracy to traffic 24 kilograms of cocaine. The FBI allege he was working for a British Columbia drug lord, an accusation he denies. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to time in prison.
Dec. 7, 2011
Wedding is released from a federal prison in the United States.
April 2015
RCMP say they have issued an arrest warrant for Wedding, who is wanted for cocaine trafficking and conspiracy charges. Fifteen people are named by police in what they call a two-year investigation tied to Colombian and Mexican drug cartels.
Nov. 20, 2023
Two people are killed and another is hurt in a shooting at a Caledon, Ont., home. Police later say the murdered couple and their adult daughter were innocent and mistakenly targeted by Wedding’s alleged associates in retaliation for a stolen shipment of drugs. Authorities later link two more fatal shootings, in Niagara and Peel regions, to the drug ring.
Oct. 8, 2024
Wedding’s alleged second-in-command, who is also Canadian, is arrested by Mexican law enforcement.
Oct. 17, 2024
U.S. officials announce an unsealed indictment in California charging Wedding, his alleged second-in-command and others. It lays out Wedding’s alleged drug trafficking network, along with the murders he is said to have ordered.
Jan. 31, 2025
A witness is shot dead at a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia, in what authorities allege is a murder ordered by Wedding to try to stop the prosecution and extradition attempts against him.
Mar. 6, 2025
Wedding is added to the FBI’s list of the top 10 most wanted fugitives. They increase the reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest to $10 million.
Nov. 19, 2025
The FBI announces several Canadians have been arrested as part of the Wedding investigation. A newly unsealed indictment connects Wedding to the alleged January 2025 murder. Among those arrested are a Toronto lawyer who allegedly advised Wedding about the murder and a jeweller who allegedly laundered money through his business. The reward is upped to $15 million.
Jan. 23, 2026
U.S. authorities announce Wedding’s arrest, saying he was apprehended in Mexico the day before.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.
The Canadian Press