Former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding pleads not guilty to 17 felonies in California

Ryan Wedding, the Canadian former Olympic snowboarder, appeared on Monday in a Santa Ana, southern California, courtroom for arraignment and pleaded not guilty to 17 felony charges. He has been charged with drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder, witness tampering and money laundering, among other counts.

Authorities allege that after his snowboarding career Wedding “turned to a life of crime” as a narcotics trafficker who led an organisation that moved cocaine from South America to the US and Canada. He is also accused of directing the “drug-related” murders of two members of a family in Ontario in 2023, the 2024 murder of another victim in Canada over a drug debt, and the January 2025 murder of an associate and FBI witness in Colombia.

A US magistrate judge, John D Early, ordered that he remain jailed without bond. There was a reward of up to $15m for information leading to his arrest. Mexican authorities said Wedding was taken into custody last week after reportedly surrendering at the US embassy in Mexico; he had been wanted by the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Anthony Colombo, Wedding’s attorney, told reporters after the arraignment that his client had not surrendered and was apprehended, CBC reported. “The indictments are not evidence, they’re just an accusation,” he said, adding that Wedding was in “good spirits” and “mentally tough”, according to the outlet.

Key Topics

World, Ryan Wedding, Sinaloa Cartel, Santa Ana, Canada, Colombia