Authorities Raid Ryan Wedding’s Mexico City Strongholds

MEXICO CITY — December 26, 2025

In a major escalation of the international manhunt for former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, Mexican security forces launched a series of high-stakes raids across Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico this week.

While the 44-year-old fugitive remains at large, authorities successfully targeted four luxury properties linked to his alleged billion-dollar cocaine empire. The operation, coordinated by Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) in conjunction with the Navy, National Guard, and the Attorney General’s Office, resulted in the seizure of a massive stockpile of assets and evidence.

Among the items recovered were 62 high-end motorcycles, two luxury vehicles, artwork, ammunition, and quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana. Notably, authorities also seized two Olympic medals. While Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, he never reached the podium; investigators are currently analyzing the medals to determine their origin and whether they belong to one of Wedding’s high-level associates.

The “El Chapo” of the Slopes

U.S. federal prosecutors allege that Wedding, who once shredded powder on the world’s most elite slopes, now masterminds a transnational criminal organization moving up to 60 tons of cocaine annually. Often compared to titans like Pablo Escobar or Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Wedding is accused of overseeing a network that spans from Colombian labs through Mexican corridors and into the streets of New York, California, and Canada.

The FBI recently added Wedding to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a staggering $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. This move followed a superseding indictment in October that linked Wedding’s organization to a series of ruthless hits, including the 2023 retaliatory murders of an innocent family in Caledon, Ontario, over a stolen drug shipment.

Narrowing the Circle

Law enforcement experts view the recent raids as a tactical “asphyxiation” of Wedding’s support structure.

The timing of the raids is particularly significant. Just days earlier, in a Toronto courtroom, Deepak Paradkar, a high-profile criminal lawyer accused of acting as a “consigliere” for Wedding, was granted bail. Paradkar is alleged to have advised Wedding to murder a key federal witness in Colombia to make a U.S. case collapse.

Protection and Betrayal

Intelligence reports suggest Wedding has long enjoyed the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. However, former investigators speculate that the fugitive may have received a “heads-up” regarding the raids, allowing him to slip away before the Navy breached his properties.

Despite the escape, the message from the SSPC is clear: the era of Wedding operating with impunity in the Mexican capital is over. As bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico reaches a fever pitch, the “Ghost” of the 2002 Olympics is finding fewer places to hide.