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FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday touted the agency’s arrest of Olympic kingpin-turned-fugitive Ryan Wedding, framing the capture as central to the FBI’s broader crime-fighting success under President Donald Trump.
Patel confirmed that Wedding, 44, was detained Thursday night in Mexico as part of a multi-agency operation involving Mexican authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The FBI announced Friday that it had captured former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding after a months-long manhunt. (FBI)
Wedding marked the sixth fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list captured during Patel’s tenure.
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“To put that in perspective, that’s two more than the entire previous administration, and none of this would be possible without the tremendous leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice and our partners and prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in Los Angeles and our field office in Los Angeles.”
Wedding, 44, was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025 and is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking ring that “routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States,” according to the FBI.
He is also accused of orchestrating multiple murders and attempted murders as part of his drug trafficking operation.
“Just to tell you how bad Ryan Wedding is, he went from being an Olympic snowboarder to being the biggest drug dealer of modern times,” Patel said at a news conference on the tarmac at Ontario International Airport on Friday. “He’s a modern El Chapo. He’s a modern Pablo Escobar, and he thought he could evade justice.”
Ryan Wedding, wanted by the FBI, was seen practicing a race for the men’s parallel giant slalom at the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Park City on February 13, 2002. (FBI | REUTERS/Jeff J. Mitchell)
WANTED FORMER OLYMPIAN RYAN’S WEDDING CAPTURED IN MEXICO, FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL BRINGS HIM BACK TO US
“This individual, his organization, and the Sinaloa Cartel poured narcotics onto the streets of North America, killed too many of our young people, and corrupted too many of our citizens. And that ends today.”
Patel called 2025 a “historic year” for the FBI, noting that the bureau has made 67,000 arrests this year alone, a 200% increase over previous years.
“The FBI has captured six of the top ten [Wanted] fugitives in our meeting. The FBI has also seized enough fentanyl to kill 150 million Americans, an increase of 31%. The FBI has arrested 35% more corrupt spy actors from China, Russia, the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and Iran. The FBI has found and identified 6,000 missing children. That’s a 22% increase. All of these all-time record numbers lead to another all-time record number put forward by President Trump’s leadership. This represents a 20% decrease in the homicide rate in the United States of America.”
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference regarding the arrest of former Olympic athlete Ryan Wedding on multinational drug trafficking charges. The press conference took place in Ontario, California on Friday, January 23, 2026. (Amy Taxin/AP Photo)
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FBI Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis said 36 people have already been arrested in connection with Wedding’s alleged criminal network. He noted that authorities also seized millions in motorcycles, jewelry and valuable art belonging to Wedding, as well as drugs, cash and weapons.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell added that as part of its efforts to apprehend Wedding, the department seized “more than 20,300 kilograms of cocaine, 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, 44 kilograms of fentanyl, eight firearms and more than $55 million in illicit assets.”
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Patel said the indictment that led to Wedding’s capture comes from the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office, which will have jurisdiction over his case. Davis said Wedding is expected to appear in court on Monday.
