Motorcycle hoarding drug-lord Ryan Wedding arrested
Once an Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding is now accused of running a billion-dollar cocaine operation linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, following his arrest in Mexico and transfer to the United States.
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico and transferred to the United States to face federal charges. He’s accused of running a transnational cocaine trafficking network linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, US authorities confirmed on January 23, 2026.
Wedding, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics, hit the headlines this month, after a super rare motorcycle collection he’d built up, which included MotoGP, World Superbikes and other highly desirable classic bikes, was seized.
He is alleged to have overseen the movement of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the US and Canada, generating more than $1 billion a year in illegal proceeds. The FBI says he was apprehended following cooperation with Mexican authorities after years as a fugitive, and is now facing charges related to drug trafficking, organised crime and multiple drug-related murders, including the killing of a federal witness.
Wedding, once a Canadian Olympian at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, has been transferred from Mexico to the United States, after, according to the FBI, having spent years on the run. During that time, it is alleged he was still overseeing the drug network, shifting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico, and into the US and beyond. The operation, prosecutors claim, generated more than $1 billion a year and was closely linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest at a press conference in California, describing Wedding as a figure on a par with names like El Chapo and Pablo Escobar. Strong words, but then so are the charges. Wedding is accused not only of trafficking drugs but of ordering multiple murders tied to stolen shipments, unpaid debts, and the killing of a US federal witness in Colombia.
Mexico’s security ministry says Wedding voluntarily surrendered at the US embassy in Mexico City, although details of the arrest remain thin. What is clear is that the US authorities wanted him badly: a $15 million reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.
The wider net is still being hauled in, with the FBI saying 36 people linked to Wedding’s organisation have already been arrested, with millions of dollars’ worth of drugs, cash, weapons and luxury items seized. More suspects remain at large, with additional rewards now being offered.
Wedding is expected to appear in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com
In This Article
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!