Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Allegedly Becomes International Drug Kingpin

From Olympic Slopes to Alleged Drug Empire

• 🏅 Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, is accused of becoming a major international drug trafficker.
• 🌎 He allegedly led a transnational cocaine empire, moving 60 metric tons of drugs from Colombia through Mexico into the US and Canada.
• 💰 The US government had placed a $15 million bounty on his head, the highest for any fugitive on the FBI's most wanted list.
• 🔍 His capture in Mexico City concluded a manhunt known as Operation Giant Slalom.

Insights from Fellow Olympian Ross Rebagliati

• 🏂 Ross Rebagliati, a gold medalist snowboarder, knew and trained with Wedding decades ago.
• 💡 Rebagliati expressed surprise, stating there were no clues that Wedding was capable of such alleged criminal activity.
• 👨‍ athlete Wedding was described as an all-American athlete, ripped, and hard to beat, with strong family support.
• 🗓️ Their last interaction was likely around the 2000-2001 Salt Lake City Olympics.

The Downward Turn and Potential Motivations

• 📉 Wedding was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2009, serving four years.
• ⚠️ Authorities allege he began building his criminal organization after his release in 2011.
• 💸 Rebagliati suggested that the allure of money and potentially a lack of significant financial reward for Canadian athletes might have contributed to a "downward turn."
• ⛰️ He speculated that Wedding, being a young risk-taker, may have gone down a "slippery slope," possibly starting with lucrative cannabis ventures.

Character and Allegations

• 🤔 Rebagliati found it difficult to reconcile the allegations with the quiet, nice guy he knew, who kept to himself and whose parents were present at races.
• 🤝 He acknowledged that people can change and that Wedding might have met individuals who emboldened him to pursue such a path.
• 🎤 When asked if he believed Wedding was involved, Rebagliati stated, "he absolutely had something to do with it," adding that one doesn't get into such a situation for doing nothing.