Former Olympian Arrested Over Global Drug Network Using Crypto

U.S. authorities have arrested Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, over his alleged role in a large and violent international drug trafficking network.

Prosecutors say the group moved and laundered cocaine profits using cryptocurrency and stablecoins. Officials say this connects traditional drug crime with modern financial tools.

Canadian Man Accused of Leading Major Drug Ring

According to prosecutors, Wedding played a leading role in a drug network that moved hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. The group shipped drugs from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California, then into the United States and Canada. 

Authorities say the network worked closely with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s most powerful criminal organizations, under U.S watch eye. Wedding, now 44, is a Canadian citizen and represented Canada as an Olympic snowboarder earlier in his life. 

Prosecutors describe his alleged criminal role as central to the operation’s planning, coordination, and enforcement. Wedding had been on the FBI’s ten most wanted list since 2025. A reward of up to $15 million was offered for information leading to his capture. 

As recently revealed, authorities finally arrested Wedding in Mexico City on January 23. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest in a public statement, in a recent X post. He is now being transferred to America to face serious criminal charges. 

U.S. Officials Link Wedding’s Drug Network to Crypto Laundering

While the arrest announcement focused on drug trafficking and murder charges, U.S. Treasury officials have previously highlighted digital assets as a key tool used by Wedding’s crime organization. 

Investigators say the group relied on crypto assets to move and hide drug proceeds across borders and support their operations. In November, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Wedding along with his associates and front companies. 

Court records and Treasury sanctions link the alleged operation to several blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and BNB Chain. Furthermore, prosecutors have pointed to the use of stablecoins, including one documented transfer of about 17,300 USDT connected to a cocaine transaction. 

Authorities have not released full details of the onchain activity tied to the network. Treasury sanctions also listed more than a dozen crypto wallet addresses linked to Wedding and his associates. 

Officials described this setup as a coordinated, multi-chain laundering system that matched the size of the alleged drug trade.

Prosecutors Accuse Wedding of Drug Trafficking and Violent Crimes

Beyond drug trafficking, prosecutors accuse Wedding of directing extreme violence. Authorities say he ordered the killing of a cooperating federal witness in Colombia in January 2025. They also alleged that he organized retaliatory shootings in Canada related to stolen drug shipments.

A superseding indictment unsealed in June 2024 charged Wedding with running a major criminal enterprise. It also accused him of drug trafficking and murder linked to those crimes.