Federal authorities escalated their pursuit of fugitive former Olympian Ryan James Wedding this week, announcing a sweeping series of arrests and new murder charges that prosecutors say expose the inner workings of a violent, transnational narcotics organization. In a coordinated crackdown known as Operation Giant Slalom, officials unsealed a nine-count indictment accusing Wedding, 44, of ordering the January assassination of a key federal witness in Medellín, Colombia. The victim, identified as Canadian citizen Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, had been cooperating with U.S. authorities in Wedding’s 2024 drug-trafficking case, Snow Industry News reports.
- Related: Former Olympic Snowboarder Added to FBI’s 10 Most Wanted For Drug Trafficking and Multiple Murders
Wedding, already one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, is believed to be operating from Mexico and allegedly working with the Sinaloa Cartel. His reward has now increased to $15 million, supplementing earlier reward announcements from the FBI and the Department of State.
According to prosecutors, Wedding placed a bounty on the witness and believed the killing would derail extradition proceedings and undercut the criminal charges he faced in the Central District of California. The indictment alleges he directed the hit from abroad while continuing to oversee a narcotics network responsible for moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and beyond.
“Wedding placed the bounty on the victim’s head, under the erroneous belief that the victim’s death would result in the dismissal of criminal charges against him,” Bill Essayli said, the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California. Attorney General Pamela Bondi described the organization as “one of the most prolific and violent” in the world and reaffirmed that Wedding remains a top priority for federal law enforcement.
Ten additional defendants were arrested Tuesday across the United States, Canada, and Colombia as part of the operation’s second phase. Among them is Deepak Balwant Paradkar, a Canadian defense attorney accused of advising Wedding to kill the witness and providing unauthorized access to court documents, discovery, and enterprise associates. Other defendants include alleged co-conspirators from Ontario, Québec, Alberta, Bogotá, Cali, Orlando, Montréal and Toronto. Officials said the charged individuals played roles ranging from coordinating logistics to helping locate the witness.
One defendant, Edwin Basora-Hernandez, a reggaeton musician and Dominican citizen, is accused of providing the victim’s contact information to facilitators seeking to carry out the murder. Federal authorities also announced immigration actions against associates tied to Wedding’s enterprise, including Latin pop artist Samantha Melissa Granda-Gastelu and attorney Madeline Paradkar. Three defendants—Rasheed Pascua Hossain, Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, and Tommy Demorizi—remain fugitives.
The new indictment builds on earlier charges accusing Wedding and his deputy, Andrew Clark, of directing multiple murders linked to drug disputes. Those killings include the November 20, 2023, murders of two family members in Caledon, Ontario, as well as additional killings in 2024 connected to drug debts and organizational conflicts.
If convicted, Wedding and his fugitive associates would face life in federal prison.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case reflects the bureau’s determination to dismantle violent international trafficking groups. Akil Davis, head of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, called Wedding “unremitting, callous, and greed-driven.” Additional rewards of up to $2 million each are being offered for the assassins who carried out the Colombia killing. Treasury officials also announced new efforts to restrict Wedding’s financial network, describing the move as part of a broader push to sever cartel-linked organizations from the U.S. financial system.
U.S. federal agencies, Canadian police, and Colombian authorities, including the Colombian National Police and Interpol, are working together to bring down Wedding and his organization. The RCMP and global law enforcement partners shared intelligence used to identify and arrest defendants across multiple countries. Officials said the case falls under broader federal initiatives, including Operation Take Back America and the Homeland Security Task Force, both aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations.
Wedding remains at large. Authorities believe he is residing in Mexico but said he could be in several other countries, including Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, or Costa Rica.
The FBI urges anyone with information to submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov, contact an FBI field office, or reach investigators via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram at +1-424-495-0614. Confidentiality will be granted to anyone providing information.
