FBI Ups Reward to $15 Million for Capture of Notorious Canadian Snowboarder Turned Fugitive

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In a joint operation with the RCMP and international agencies, the FBI has increased the reward for information leading to the capture of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned fugitive, to $15 million. Wedding, 44, is listed as one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted fugitives and is accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking organization. Wedding, known by various aliases, is believed to have orchestrated several murders and an attempted murder in connection with his alleged drug offenses. He is also accused of operating a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder related to the enterprise, and various drug offenses. Law enforcement officials have arrested 12 people in an international takedown, including a Canadian lawyer representing Wedding. A total of over 30 individuals have been arrested or are being sought in relation to the Wedding network. The US Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on Wedding and his alleged accomplices, confiscating millions of dollars from them. Wedding's second-in-command, Andrew Clark, was apprehended in Mexico last year and extradited to the US. FBI Director Kash Patel described Wedding as a 'modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar' and vowed that he 'will not evade justice.' The FBI is still searching for Wedding, who is believed to be hiding in Mexico, but may also be located in other regions, including the US, Canada, Honduras, Guatemala, or Costa Rica. Wedding's case has raised concerns about the involvement of organized crime groups, including the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, which has been classified as a terrorist group by both the Canadian and US governments. The FBI is urging anyone with information about Wedding's whereabouts to come forward and claim the $15 million reward.