Ex-Canadian Olympian turned drug lord arrested: US media

Deutsche Tageszeitung - Ex-Canadian Olympian turned drug lord arrested: US media

Ex-Canadian Olympian turned drug lord arrested: US media / Photo: © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Ryan Wedding, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, has been taken into custody, US media reported on Friday.

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Wedding, 44, is wanted by the United States on drug and murder charges and has been on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list.

The State Department has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.

NBC News, citing two law enforcement officials, said Wedding was in custody but did not say where he was arrested.

US officials have said previously that Wedding was believed to be hiding in Mexico.

FBI Director Kash Patel described Wedding at a recent press conference as a "modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar," the notorious Colombian drug lord who died in 1993.

Seven people allegedly connected to Wedding's cocaine smuggling operation were arrested in Canada in November, including his lawyer, and the United States is seeking their extradition.

Wedding competed for Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom.

Wedding, whose aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant" and "Public Enemy," is accused of shipping hundreds of millions of dollars of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico to the United States and Canada.

(P.Tomczyk--DTZ)

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Deutsche Tageszeitung - Ex-Canadian Olympian turned drug lord arrested: US media