Former Canadian Olympic Snowboarder Among 16 Charged in International Cocaine Trafficking Ring

A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others have been charged in a transnational drug trafficking ring.Photo byLorenzo LamonicaonUnsplash

A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and 15 others have been charged in a 16-count indictment for allegedly running a transnational cocaine trafficking operation from Colombia to Canada and the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced today.

Ryan James Wedding, 43, a Canadian citizen residing in Mexico, and Andrew Clark, 34, also a Canadian citizen living in Mexico, were previously charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiracy to possess, distribute, and export cocaine, the department stated.

Clark was arrested by Mexican law enforcement on Oct. 8 and remains in custody. Wedding is a fugitive, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The newly unsealed indictment names 14 additional defendants and alleges that Wedding, Clark, and others conspired to ship bulk quantities of cocaine from Southern California to Canada through a transportation network based in Ontario, Canada.

The network was allegedly run by Hardeep Ratte, 45, and Gurpreet Singh, 30, both from Ontario. The trafficking occurred between January 2024 and August 2024, as stated by federal prosecutors.

According to the Department of Justice, the cocaine shipments were transported from Mexico to Los Angeles, where the organization stored the drugs in stash houses before transferring them to couriers for transportation to Canada via semi-trucks.

The indictment further alleges that Wedding and Clark ordered multiple murders to protect the drug operation.

On November 20, 2023, they allegedly directed the murders of two family members in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. A third family member survived but sustained serious injuries, the department states.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also stated that Wedding and Clark allegedly ordered the May 18, 2024, murder of another individual over a drug debt, and Clark and Malik Damion Cunningham, 23, are accused of a separate murder on April 1, 2024.

Wedding, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics and goes by aliases including “El Jefe” and “Giant,” is charged with eight felonies, including conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine, leading a criminal enterprise, and multiple counts of murder.

Clark, also known as “The Dictator,” faces the same charges, plus an additional murder count, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

“As alleged in the indictment, an Olympic athlete-turned-drug lord is now charged with leading a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

“My office’s mandate is to protect the public and stopping sophisticated and violent organized crime groups goes to the heart of that mission. We will continue to collaborate with our federal, local, and international law enforcement partners to bring these groups to justice.”

During the investigation, law enforcement seized over a ton of cocaine, firearms, ammunition, $255,400 in U.S. currency, and over $3.2 million in cryptocurrency, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment revealed that the organization attempted to deliver nearly 1,800 kilograms (1.8 metric tons) of cocaine, worth between $23.4 and $25.2 million in Los Angeles.