Former Canadian Olympian Wanted in Connection with Ontario Double Homicide

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an alert for the arrest of Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder, in connection with a double homicide that occurred in Ontario last year. Wedding, who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is alleged to have been involved in the murders in Caledon on November 20, 2023, in what authorities describe as a retaliatory act linked to a stolen drug shipment.

In a statement issued by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Wedding is accused alongside Andrew Clark, another Canadian residing in Mexico, of orchestrating the killings due to a drug transaction gone awry. The DOJ’s announcement details that the double homicide left two individuals dead and another seriously injured. Wedding and Clark are implicated as part of a broader transnational drug trafficking operation that allegedly moved cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into Canada and the United States.

Andrew Clark has been apprehended by Mexican authorities as of October 8, while Ryan James Wedding remains at large, the DOJ report highlights. The indictment, which encompasses 16 defendants, names Wedding as the lead defendant facing multiple charges, including murder related to a continuing criminal enterprise.

Further allegations against Wedding and Clark include directing a third homicide on May 18, 2024, over a drug debt, although details regarding the location of this incident have not been disclosed. Both Clark and a third defendant, Malik Damion Cunningham, aged 23, are also charged with a separate murder that occurred on April 1, 2024, in Mississauga, Ontario.

The FBI has identified Ryan James Wedding by several aliases, such as “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.” Wedding’s co-defendant, Clark, is known by the alias “The Dictator.” Clark also faces an additional count of murder beyond the charges leveled against Wedding.

Local authorities, in collaboration with international partners, continue the search for Wedding as investigations into the alleged drug network and its associated violent crimes proceed. This story is developing, and updates are expected as more information becomes available.