Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was arrested in Mexico City. The FBI announced the arrest on Friday. Wedding faces serious charges. These include organizing a large drug trafficking business and several murders. He is expected to be sent to the United States soon. This arrest is a big success for many police agencies. They had been looking for him for a long time.
Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was reportedly hiding with a dangerous drug cartel. This was while he was avoiding the police. The FBI director said the international police work was very important. They believe Wedding led a big criminal group. This group brought about 60 tons of cocaine to the US each year.
This drug business made about $1 billion every year. Its operations were in North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The FBI had offered a large reward for information about him. This shows how dangerous he was considered. Police have already arrested 36 people linked to his drug ring.
Police are also trying to take money and valuable items. These include cars and art. They believe these came from illegal drug sales. Besides drug charges, Wedding is also accused of violent crimes. This includes killing a witness. He may have also ordered others to be killed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) helped with the investigation. The commissioner said that countries are safer now. Wedding's arrest helps fight organized crime. He is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Monday. This court case might reveal more about his alleged criminal activities.