Former Olympian on FBI most wanted list with $15 million reward arrested
A former Olympian who landed himself on the FBI's 'most wanted' list has now been arrested, according to reports.
A $15 million reward was put up for information that led to the arrest and/or prosecution of Ryan Wedding back in November - and someone might soon be laying claim to it.
Details about what led to his alleged arrest have not yet been released by authorities, although two law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told NBC News he has now been apprehended.
The ex-snowboarder represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, but later 'turned to a life of crime as a transnational narcotics trafficker', according to the FBI.
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Wedding has been wanted on charges of overseeing operations of a criminal enterprise, cocaine trafficking, murder and witness intimidation tactics.
FBI director Kash Patel previously went as far as to compare the fugitive to 'a modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar and El Chapo'.
He alleged that Wedding was responsible for 'engineering a narco trafficking and narco terrorism program that we have not seen in a long time'.
At a press conference in November, Patel said that Wedding’s 'criminal activities and violent actions will not be tolerated', while warning the elusive former athlete that the 'FBI will use its resources and expertise to bring him and his associates to justice'.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi also claimed that Wedding is behind the murder of a federal witness in a case against him, while dubbing him the 'largest distributor of cocaine in Canada'.
She said that the alleged drug network he is affiliated with is estimated to bring in more than $1 billion a year.
"He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organisations in this world," Bondi claimed.
It has been suspected that Wedding has been hiding out in Mexico, as the FBI believe that he works in tandem with the fearsome Sinaloa Cartel.
Akil Davis, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, also previously commented on Wedding’s alleged shift from sports to crime.
He said: "Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada."
After an extensive manhunt, Wedding has now reportedly been arrested, NBC News reports.
The publication states that officials are set to share further details on his arrest at a news conference which will take place today (23 January).
LADbible Group has contacted the FBI for comment.
Topics: Crime, Olympics, US News, World News
Olivia Burke