From Olympic slopes to the FBI’s Most Wanted list, Ryan James Wedding’s descent into the criminal underworld has culminated in a sprawling international drug trafficking case that now includes ordering the assassination of a federal witness.
U.S. authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of ten defendants connected to Wedding, a 44-year-old former Olympic snowboarder who allegedly runs one of the world’s most violent drug trafficking organizations. Wedding himself remains at large with a staggering $15 million bounty on his head after being placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in March 2025.
“Ryan Wedding controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world and works closely with the Sinaloa Cartel,” federal prosecutors stated in court documents.
Operation Giant Slalom
The arrests mark the second phase of what authorities have dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom” — a nod to Wedding’s past athletic career. In total, 11 defendants are now in custody pursuant to a nine-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed on November 19, which charges them in connection with the January 31 murder of a federal witness in Colombia.
That witness, whose identity has not been released, was reportedly shot to death in a restaurant in MedellÃn. “The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” prosecutors declared.
How did a former Olympic athlete end up allegedly ordering hits and trafficking tons of cocaine? According to investigators, Wedding’s path from athlete to alleged kingpin represents a dramatic transformation. “Ryan Wedding’s athletic drive snowballed into a life of violence and, instead of conquering mountains, he mastered a deadly drug distribution enterprise and will continue to order murders while he enjoys protection by his cartel associates and others,” the FBI noted.
A Web of Accomplices
Among those charged is a surprising figure: 62-year-old Deepak Balwant Paradkar, a Canadian criminal barrister who allegedly advised Wedding to murder the witness to avoid extradition. Authorities claim Paradkar provided Wedding with court documents and discovery materials, and facilitated access to enterprise members through attorneys he secured.
The case also implicates Gursewak Singh Bal, the 31-year-old co-founder of “The Dirty News” website, which has since been seized by law enforcement. Prosecutors allege that in exchange for payment, Bal agreed not to post about Wedding and instead posted the victim’s photograph to facilitate the murder.
Even more bizarre, Edwin Basora-Hernandez, a 31-year-old reggaeton musician and Dominican Republic citizen, allegedly provided co-conspirators with the victim’s contact information to help Wedding’s criminal enterprise locate and murder the victim, according to the indictment.
The Hunt Continues
Law enforcement continues to search for three fugitive defendants: Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, of Vancouver; Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, of Mexico City; and Tommy Demorizi, 35, of Montréal, believed to be hiding in the Dominican Republic. But Wedding remains the primary target.
The charges against Wedding extend beyond the witness murder. He’s also accused in a 2024 indictment of directing the November 20, 2023 murders of two members of a family in Caledon, Ontario, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. A third family member survived but suffered serious injuries.
This massive investigation has involved multiple agencies including the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Colombian National Police. “Ryan Wedding and his associates allegedly imported tons of cocaine each year from Colombia through Mexico and onto the streets of U.S. communities,” investigators revealed.
Severe Consequences
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the defendants. If convicted, Wedding and those charged in connection with the victim’s murder face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. “Whether you’re a kingpin or a dealer on the street, anyone who sells drugs to our kids will be arrested and prosecuted,” prosecutors warned.
Authorities are offering rewards of up to $15 million for information leading to Wedding’s arrest and up to $2 million each for the assassins responsible for the murder. The message to the fugitives was blunt: “If convicted, you will never see the outside of a prison ever again.”
For now, the former Olympian remains on the run, a stark reminder of how far a life can fall from the heights of international athletic competition to the depths of international organized crime.
