The FBI has successfully apprehended former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, ending his decade-long run as the alleged leader of a transnational drug empire. Arrested in Mexico City on January 22, 2026, and flown to the U.S. the following morning, Wedding was a high-priority target who earned a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list with a staggering $15 million reward.
The Scope of the Operation
U.S. prosecutors allege that Wedding led a violent criminal enterprise responsible for moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into the U.S. and Canada. The operation was bolstered by a strategic alliance with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
Wedding’s charges include:
- Cocaine Trafficking: Massive distribution across North American borders.
- Murder: Including the January 2025 contract killing of a federal witness in Colombia and the 2023 murders of a Canadian couple in a case of mistaken identity.
- Criminal Enterprise: Operating a sophisticated, multi-national illegal organization.
A Global Web of Enablers
In November 2025, the U.S. Treasury (OFAC) sanctioned Wedding and a sprawling network of 18 individuals and entities that acted as the organization’s backbone.
| Key Associate | Role |
| Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado (“The General”) | Former Mexican officer; provided cartel protection and intelligence. |
| Deepak Balwant Paradkar | Canadian attorney; accused of advising on murders and allowing Wedding to eavesdrop on other clients. |
| Rolan Sokolovski | Canadian jeweler (“Diamond Tsar”); lead money launderer using crypto and jewelry. |
| Gianluca Tiepolo | Former Italian special forces; managed luxury assets and ran paramilitary training camps. |
| Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez | Colombian national; allegedly helped coordinate the murder of a federal witness. |
Multi-Chain Crypto Laundering & Assets
To bypass traditional banking, the network moved funds through a “layering” strategy across multiple blockchains. OFAC specifically blacklisted 12 cryptocurrency addresses linked to Wedding and Sokolovski.
Sanctioned Wallet Examples:
- Bitcoin (BTC):
37fKFZQGMqdBkjSUub1jCDWGgSHwv9VxfZ - Ethereum (ETH):
0xe1e4c5e5ed8f03ae61b581e2def126025f2b9401 - TRON (TRX):
TAoLw5yD5XUoHWeBZRSZ1ExK9HMv2CiPvP - Solana (SOL):
42RLPACwZPx3vYYmxSueqsogfynBDqXK298EDsNoyoHi - BNB Chain (BNB):
bnb136ns6lfw4zs5hg4n85vdthaad7hq5m4gtkgf23
The illicit wealth was converted into luxury assets, including high-end motorcycles and a $13 million Mercedes CLK-GTR seized by federal agents.
The Final Takedown
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Wedding was captured during a coordinated operation with Mexican authorities. Patel, who was in Mexico for the operation, described Wedding as “the largest narco-trafficker in modern times.”
Wedding is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Monday, January 26, 2026. As Akil Davis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office put it, the man who once represented his country at the 2002 Winter Olympics has finally been brought to justice for “distributing powder cocaine on the streets.”
