The Department of Justice and the FBI announced the arrest of Ryan James Wedding, marking the sixth capture of a Top Ten Most Wanted fugitive within the past year, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico late Thursday and is being transported to the United States via the FBI’s Foreign Terrorist Operations Center to face federal charges. Authorities believe he had been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade.
Federal officials say Wedding has been wanted since 2024 on charges including cocaine trafficking and murder. Investigators allege he played a key role in a transnational drug trafficking organization that moved hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, and into the United States and Canada. Prosecutors say the operation was tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.
He’s a former Olympic Canadian snowboarder.
Patel credited the arrest to close cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities, thanking the Government of Mexico and specifically acknowledging President Claudia Sheinbaum, Secretary Omar Harfuch, U.S. Ambassador Ron Johnson, and FBI Legal Attaché offices in Mexico. The FBI also cited support from the U.S. Department of Justice, the State Department, and specialized FBI units including HRT, CIRG, and aviation teams.
“This is the sixth Top Ten Most Wanted fugitive this FBI has captured within a year,” Patel said, attributing the results to the Trump administration’s law enforcement policies. He noted that the six fugitives had collectively spent nearly 40 years on the run.
The arrest comes shortly after the FBI increased the maximum reward for information leading to the capture of individuals on its Ten Most Wanted list to $1 million, a move officials say underscores renewed focus on apprehending high-level fugitives.
Federal authorities described the arrest as a significant step toward improving public safety across North America and sent a broader warning to criminal organizations operating across borders that fugitives will be pursued and brought to justice.
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