THE FBI in Los Angeles on Monday released a newly obtained photograph of FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Ryan James Wedding, a snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and who after his snowboarding career, turned to a life of crime as a transnational narcotics trafficker.
The FBI said on its X account that the photo is believed to have been taken in Mexico during the summer of 2025.
Also, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico in a video posted on its Facebook Page and X account showed another newly obtained photo of Wedding.
In a November 19 press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., officials from the U.S. and Canada described Wedding as a narco-trafficker on par with notorious drug lords like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding’s operation was responsible for more than $1 billion a year in illegal drug proceeds.
The FBI said Wedding is wanted for allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States. Additionally, it is alleged that Wedding was involved in orchestrating multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes.
screenshot / U.S. Embassy in Mexico’s Facebook / X
The United States Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Wedding.
Among seven subjects arrested in November in Canada was Wedding’s attorney, Deepak Paradkar, who allegedly recommended to Wedding that he have a witness murdered, the FBI said. [INDICTMENT]
(An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.)
According to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice, “Paradkar, a criminal barrister … advised Wedding to murder the victim so that Wedding would avoid extradition to the United States from Mexico on the 2024 federal criminal charges against him. Paradkar also provided Wedding with court documents and discovery to which he would not otherwise have access, and – through attorneys whose representation he secured – access to enterprise members and associates who either were arrested, indicted, or under investigation.”
The following defendants were arrested as part of the second phase of a law enforcement action entitled “Operation Giant Slalom”:
- Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada;
- Atna Ohna, 40, of Laval, Québec, Canada;
- Gursewak Singh Bal, 31, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada;
- Allistair Chapman, 33, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada;
- Ahmad Nabil Zitoun, 35, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;
- Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, 47, of Bogotá, Colombia;
- Yulieth Katherine Tejada, 36, of Orlando, Florida, who is legal permanent resident from Colombia;
- Edwin Basora-Hernandez, 31, of Montréal;
- Wilson Riascos, 45, of Cali, Colombia; and
- Rolan Sokolovski, 37, of Toronto.
U.S. authorities said they were searching for Wedding, and the following three defendants:
- Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;
- Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, of Mexico City; and
- Tommy Demorizi, 35, of Montréal, who is believed to be a fugitive in the Dominican Republic
At the end of November, the FBI reported that Hossain had been arrested but did not offer any details.
If you have any information concerning Wedding, contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram (neither government-operated nor government-controlled platforms) at (424) 495-0614. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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