U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Canadian Fugitive Linked to Drug Trafficking and Murders
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Canadian fugitive Ryan James Wedding. The reward is being offered through the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) in cooperation with authorities in Canada and Mexico.
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, is accused of operating a transnational narcotics trafficking enterprise. Authorities believe he is currently residing in Mexico.
According to U.S. officials, Wedding and another Canadian citizen were initially charged with running a large-scale criminal enterprise involving drug distribution, conspiracy, and murder. His co-defendant was arrested by Mexican law enforcement on October 8, 2024, and was transferred to U.S. custody on February 27, 2025.
A subsequent indictment, unsealed in October 2024, implicated 14 additional individuals in the drug operation. Prosecutors allege that between January and August 2024, Wedding and his associates orchestrated the shipment of large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to Canada, using a distribution network operating out of Ontario. Authorities claim the drugs were transported through Southern California, stored in stash houses in the Los Angeles area, and then moved across the border via long-haul semi-trucks.
The indictments also link Wedding’s organization to multiple violent incidents, including the murders of two family members in Ontario in November 2023, allegedly in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. Another individual was reportedly killed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in May 2024 over a drug-related debt.
Of the 16 individuals indicted in the case, only Wedding and one other suspect remain at large.
The U.S. State Department’s reward is part of its broader efforts to combat transnational crime. Authorities are urging anyone with information about Wedding’s whereabouts to contact the FBI or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) through secure communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, at 424-495-0614. Those outside the United States can also reach out to the nearest U.S., Canadian, or Mexican embassy or consulate.
Officials emphasize that all tips will be handled with strict confidentiality and that government employees are not eligible for the reward.