The reward for the capture of ex-Olympian and alleged Canadian drug lord Ryan Wedding has increased to $15 million.
Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, landed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list after allegedly ordering dozens of murders across the globe, including in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled a new indictment against him Wednesday, accusing him of new murder, witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering, and drug trafficking charges.
He’s believed to be hiding out in Mexico and is accused of using “highly sophisticated methods” in the planning and execution of the killings, according to the Department of Justice.
The federal agency said the level of coordination and ruthlessness has made him one of the world’s most dangerous fugitives.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Wednesday that it sanctioned Wedding and nine people and entities closely associated with him.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California also issued indictments against Wedding’s alleged accomplices.
“Today we’re exposing the network of associates and enablers behind Ryan Wedding — one of the most notorious criminals and narcotraffickers still evading justice,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.
“Treasury is joining with the FBI and the Department of Justice to cut Wedding and his criminal partners off from the U.S. financial system and help dismantle the network they rely on. Our goal is simple: make it difficult for criminals like this to profit from poisoning our communities.”
The newest accusations against Wedding, who used the aliases “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy,” include that he ordered the murder of a key witness in the case against him.
The witness was gunned down in a restaurant in Medellin, Columbia.
Among those accused of helping him in his crimes is his wife, Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno. She allegedly launders drug proceeds for Wedding and has helped him carry out violence.
Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, known as “the General,” provides protection for Wedding in Mexico and uses law enforcement sources to locate targets for Wedding, according to the DOJ.
Another notable suspect is Wedding’s lawyer, Deepak Balwant Paradkar, who authorities accuse of introducing him to drug traffickers who moved his drugs and “helped Wedding with bribery and murder.”
“We are coming for you. We will find you. And you will be accountable and held to justice for your crimes,” Bondi said.
