I know exactly how fugitives operate. Here’s the chilling truth about how Olympics star Ryan Wedding was caught…

Ryan Wedding’s peaceful surrender after nearly a year on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list wasn’t the violent Hollywood ending some envisioned for the Olympic snowboarder-turned-accused drug kingpin.

Rather, it appears to be a well-orchestrated plan aimed at preserving the 44-year-old Canadian amid increased mortal danger, one high-ranking former prosecutor tells the Daily Mail. By handing himself over to authorities at the US Embassy in Mexico City, Wedding may have saved himself from a violent arrest or even an assassination. 

‘Turning yourself in at a US Embassy is often a calculated survival decision, not an act of conscience,’ Bobby Taghavi, a former Senior Deputy District Attorney for Orange County told the Daily Mail. ‘For high-level fugitives, an embassy offers controlled custody, protection, and predictability as opposed to the uncertainty of being arrested by rival criminal groups, local police, or during a violent raid.’

Not much is known publicly about the circumstances surrounding Wedding’s surrender. FBI Director Kash Patel declined to reveal details about Wedding’s arrest or Operation Giant Slalom, telling reporters Friday the agency needed to ‘safeguard the integrity of the ongoing investigation.’

The most revealing explanation came in a joint memo from the US Embassy & Consulates in Mexico, which claimed Wedding’s ‘surrender was a direct result of pressure applied by Mexican and US law enforcement working in close coordination and cooperation.’ 

To Taghavi, who now works as a trial attorney, such a surrender makes perfect sense for a high-profile suspect facing a dwindling number of options.

‘There have been seen similar moves from high-level organized-crime figures and international traffickers who surrender strategically once they realize capture is inevitable,’ Taghavi continued. ‘The common thread is control choosing how and where arrest happens.’

Asked if Wedding was in mortal danger in Mexico, Taghavi said this was ‘absolutely a realistic concern’ given the looming prosecutions for the defendant’s alleged criminal network. 

Thus far, law enforcement agencies across the US, Mexico, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Colombia have worked together to arrest 36 individuals allegedly connected to Wedding, while the US Treasury sanctioned 19, including the former competitive snowboarder. 

And given Wedding’s supposed ties to the notorious Sinaloa cartel, who authorities say protected and collaborated with the defendant, he could be seen as a potential informant.  

‘When someone is labeled a liability either by law enforcement pressure or criminal rivals, the risk of being killed skyrockets,’ Taghavi said. ‘Turning himself in may have been the only way to stay alive long enough to face the legal process.’

But don’t go thanking the cartels for Wedding’s surrender.

Rather, the multi-agency international investigation, Operation Giant Slalom, limited Wedding’s options by identifying his network of alleged co-conspirators. Now, according to a federal indictment obtained by the Daily Mail, prosecutors have a detailed map of perceived ties between suspects ranging from a Colombian madam in Mexico City to alleged mercenaries, Wedding’s 34-year-old wife and even his 23-year-old girlfriend.

And with much of the alleged Wedding Criminal Enterprise seemingly exposed, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native was seemingly left with two unappealing options: Taking his chances in Mexico or surrendering to the US.

‘In cases like this, leverage can include sealed indictments, cooperating witnesses, intercepted communications, or intelligence that the fugitive’s location is compromised,’ Taghavi said. ‘When a fugitive realizes the net is tightening, surrendering becomes the safest remaining option.’

This, Taghavi explained, is a credit to law enforcement across North and South America.

‘This appears to be a coordinated international law-enforcement success. US federal agencies deserve credit, but so do Canadian authorities and Mexican counterparts who assisted in tracking and limiting his options,’ he said. ‘These cases don’t end without sustained, multi-jurisdictional pressure.’

Not even Mexico’s notorious corruption problems and cartel influence could prevent Wedding’s ultimate arrest.

‘This is a win for international cooperation,’ Taghavi added. ‘While corruption concerns always exist, cases like this show that multi-agency coordination can still work, especially when the individual is high-profile and globally wanted.’

And Wedding was certainly wanted.

Along with his alleged accomplice Andrew Clark, Wedding is accused of orchestrating the murders of Canadian married couple Jagtar Sidhu and Harbhajan Sidhu in 2023, as well as 39-year-old Mohammed Zafar in 2024 and a federal witness in Colombia one year ago.

The Sidhus were initially believed to have been killed over a stolen shipment of drugs, although Ontario Provincial Police Detective-Inspector Brian McDermott said in 2024 the assassins ‘shot the wrong people.’ Their daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, 28, was also shot 13 times in the attack, but survived.

Clark was previously arrested in Mexico in 2024 and extradited to the United States. He has since pleaded not guilty and is set to face trial in February.

Wedding, who does not currently have an attorney listed on the federal court website, does have alleged connections to Colombian cocaine producers as well as Mexican cartels. Traditionally, such ties have given defendants the opportunity to turn in co-conspirators in exchange for a favorable sentencing.   

But in Wedding’s case, Taghavi believes the alleged crimes are too serious to consider leniency.

‘If Wedding has credible, verifiable information about larger trafficking networks, financial channels, or violent actors, prosecutors will listen,’ Taghavi said. ‘But given the severity of the charges, including murder allegations, any deal would be limited and hard fought. This is not a case where cooperation guarantees leniency.’

Wedding is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in California on Monday.