Ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding pleads not guilty to federal charges that he operated a Mexican drug cartel

Ex-Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, who FBI Director Kash Patel has described as a modern-day “El Chapo” or Pablo Escobar, pleaded not guilty on Monday to 17 felony charges across two indictments alleging that he operated a Mexican drug cartel.

Wedding, a Canadian national who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, appeared in federal court in Santa Ana on Monday morning. According to the Department of Justice, he will remain in U.S. custody without bond.

In the Santa Ana courtroom, Wedding appeared in a tan jumpsuit with shackled ankles and a tattoo-sleeved right arm. He walked into the courtroom with a smirk on his face, according to CBS News.

The 44-year-old was arrested last week in Mexico City after living in the country as a fugitive for as long as a decade, according to Patel.

When speaking to reporters outside the courthouse on Monday, his attorney, Anthony Colombo, refuted comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson claiming that Wedding surrendered, and said he was rather “apprehended” by law enforcement in Mexico.

“This is very early on in the proceedings,” Colombo said. “[Wedding’s] in good spirits … This has been a whirlwind.”

He was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list last year and is accused of “running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation” as part of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The operations routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico, into the U.S. and Canada, according to federal prosecutors. 

Court documents revealed accusations that Wedding ordered a “multimillion-dollar bounty” on a federal witness who was involved in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him.

Wedding’s Mexico City arrest came after the U.S. increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and extradition to $15 million. Patel has not confirmed whether his arrest was aided by information provided by an individual seeking that reward.

According to the DOJ, he’ll return to court for a status conference on Feb. 11 and a jury trial on March 24. When speaking to reporters, Colombo said he doubts that the trial will start on time due to the large amount of evidence that needs to be processed.