Summary (tl;dr)

Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, now an alleged international drug kingpin on the FBI's Most Wanted list, faces new U.S. murder charges for allegedly ordering the killing of a federal witness in Colombia. Seven Canadians, including Wedding's lawyer and a website operator, have been arrested in connection with his vast criminal enterprise.

Essential Background

Ryan Wedding, 44, represented Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. After his Olympic career, he allegedly transitioned into leading a transnational organized crime group, likened by FBI Director Kash Patel to a "modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar" and "El Chapo" Guzmán. Wedding has been a fugitive for over a decade, with a previous indictment in 2024 charging him with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and drug trafficking. He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March 2025. His organization is accused of trafficking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine annually from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into the U.S. and Canada, and of being responsible for numerous murders, including two family members in Ontario in November 2023.

The Full Story

U.S. authorities have unsealed a new indictment against Ryan Wedding, charging him with additional counts of witness tampering and intimidation, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. These new charges stem from the alleged murder of a federal witness in January 2025 in Medellin, Colombia, whom Wedding reportedly ordered killed to prevent testimony in a pending criminal case.

In a coordinated international law enforcement action dubbed "Operation Giant Slalom" (a nod to Wedding's Olympic past), seven Canadians with alleged ties to Wedding's criminal network were arrested on Tuesday. Among those arrested are Deepak Paradkar, an Ontario lawyer who allegedly advised Wedding to murder the witness, and Gursewak Singh Bal of Mississauga, Ontario, the founder of "The Dirty News" website, who allegedly posted the witness's photograph to aid in their location and killing. Other arrests in Canada included Edwin Basora-Hernandez and Atna Onha in Montreal. The U.S. State Department has increased its reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest and conviction from $10 million to up to $15 million. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Wedding and nine associates and entities linked to his criminal operations.

Why It Matters

The ongoing pursuit and recent arrests underscore the significant threat posed by Ryan Wedding's alleged multi-billion dollar transnational drug trafficking and narco-terrorism organization. The charges of witness tampering and murder highlight the extreme violence and ruthlessness attributed to his network, impacting communities across North and South America. The coordinated efforts by U.S. and Canadian law enforcement, including the increased reward and sanctions, demonstrate a strong international commitment to dismantling this enterprise, bringing Wedding to justice, and protecting the rule of law.

Geographic Location

• Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia (murder of federal witness)
• Mexico (Ryan Wedding believed to be hiding and directing operations)
• Brampton, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada (arrest of lawyer Deepak Paradkar)
• Mississauga, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada (arrest of Gursewak Singh Bal)
• Montreal, Quebec, Canada (arrests of Atna Onha and Edwin Basora-Hernandez, Onha's court appearance)
• Alberta, Canada (other arrests in connection with Wedding's organization)
• Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, United States (joint press conference by U.S. and Canadian law enforcement officials)
• Los Angeles, California, United States (major hub for drug distribution for Wedding's organization; FBI field office involved in investigation)