Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding is facing criminal charges for orchestrating an crypto-related international drug trafficking shceme, according to new indictments unsealed this week by the Justice Department.
According to a November 19 press release from the DOJ, Wedding is charged with overseeing the criminal enterprise as well as the January 2025 killing of a federal witness who was affiliated with the prosecution’s case against the one-time Canadian athlete.
The U.S. government alleges that Wedding “placed a bounty” against the federal witness, resulting in his murder at a resturant in Colombia earlier this year.
“Whether you’re a kingpin or a dealer on the street, anyone who sells drugs to our kids will be arrested and prosecuted,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Ryan Wedding controls one of the most prolific and violent drug trafficking organizations in this world and works closely with the Sinaloa Cartel.”
“We will not rest until his name is taken off the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted List, and his narco-trafficking organization lies dismantled,” she added.
Ryan Wedding’s Crypto Connection
The U.S. government claims that Wedding used a “sophisticated” Tether network to launder funds illicitly obtained through his extensive drug network before ultimately moving them into one he controlled.
In one incident laid out in the indictment, one defendant “received approximately $2,000,000,000 COP” converted from cryptocurrency “as payment for the approximately 300 kilograms of cocaine.”
Moreover, U.S. authorities have upped Wedding’s $10 million reward to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or prosecution.
If convicted, Wedding is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison for his crimes.
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