LOS ANGELES (TCN) -- A 43-year-old former Olympian faces federal charges for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking operation and orchestrating multiple killings.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Ryan Wedding, a former snowboarder, and 34-year-old Andrew Clark, both Canadian citizens living in Mexico, allegedly conspired with 14 other co-defendants to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Southern California to Canada. They allegedly used a Canada-based drug transportation network operated by 45-year-old Hardeep Ratte and 30-year-old Gurpreet Singh to transport the drugs between January and August 2024.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Wedding also goes by "El Jefe," "Giant," and "Public Enemy," and Clark is known as "The Dictator." Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and came in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom.
Federal prosecutors said cocaine shipments were sent from Mexico to Los Angeles, and operatives would keep the drugs in stash houses before bringing them to the transportation network couriers to be driven via long-haul semitrucks to Canada.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the organization allegedly used violence "to achieve its aims." Investigators allege Wedding and Clark organized the November 2023 slayings of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, "in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California." Prosecutors said another relative survived the fatal shooting but sustained critical injuries.
Wedding and Clark allegedly orchestrated the killing of a third individual in May over a drug debt. Prosecutors said Clark and another defendant, 23-year-old Malik Cunningham of Canada, have been charged in the April death of another victim in Ontario, Canada.
Wedding and Clark were previously charged in an original indictment with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Local Mexican law enforcement officials arrested Clark on Oct. 8. Wedding is a fugitive and is wanted by the FBI.
In a superseding indictment, federal prosecutors said Wedding is charged with eight felonies, including two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and one count of attempt to commit murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.
Clark faces the same charges, as well as an additional count of murder.
Authorities reportedly seized more than 1 ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, over $250,000, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.
Federal prosecutors said in March, the drug organization transported around 646 pounds of cocaine to Ratte and Singh. They allegedly tried to deliver 827 pounds in April, but investigators seized the drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s office said several defendants had 1.8 metric tons of cocaine, which carries a Los Angeles street value of between $23.4 and $25.2 million.
Multiple defendants will appear in court in Los Angeles, Michigan, and Miami.
Wedding, Clark, and Cunningham face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison if convicted on the murder, attempted murder, or continuing criminal enterprise charges. The drug trafficking charges carry minimum sentences between 10 and 15 years in prison.
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