U.S. authorities have unveiled serious new charges against fugitive Canadian ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding, who is accused of orchestrating the murder of an FBI witness in Colombia. Wedding has been described as "a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar" by FBI Director Kash Patel. At a news conference, Patel announced that the reward for Wedding's capture has increased from $10 million to $15 million. "He will not evade justice," Patel stated, emphasizing the severity of the allegations against Wedding, who is said to lead one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations globally.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed these sentiments, stating that Wedding is responsible for a narco-trafficking and narco-terrorism program that has not been seen in years. An indictment unsealed on Wednesday charges 12 individuals for their involvement in Wedding's alleged drug operation. Wedding faces multiple new charges, including those related to the death of Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, a key witness who was murdered in Medellin, Colombia, on January 31.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reported that seven Canadians have been arrested in connection with the case. Acebedo-Garcia was set to testify against Wedding's organization, which has been under investigation for its extensive drug trafficking activities. The FBI has been monitoring meetings involving Wedding and his associates across several countries, including Mexico, Canada, and Dubai.

The announcement follows the recent arrests of two men in Montreal, including Atna Onha, 40, who is linked to organized crime and wanted by the FBI for his connection to Acebedo-Garcia's assassination. Onha was arrested by the RCMP and appeared in court shortly after.

Wedding, who finished 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, has been a fugitive since at least 2014. He is accused of masterminding a cross-border drug trafficking operation that transported large quantities of cocaine from California to Canada using long-haul trucks. Authorities allege that Wedding collaborated with Mexican cartels and ordered multiple murders to protect his organization.

His alleged right-hand man, Andrew Clark, 35, was arrested in Mexico last year and remains in U.S. custody. The FBI has linked Wedding and Clark to several killings in Ontario, with indications that more murders may be connected to their operations. Wedding is also implicated in the November 20, 2023, shooting deaths of Jagtar Singh Sidhu and his wife, Harbhajan Kaur Sidhu, in Caledon, which was reportedly a case of mistaken identity related to drug retaliation.

Additionally, U.S. officials allege that Wedding and Clark ordered the killing of a 39-year-old man from Brampton in May 2024. Clark and another Canadian, Malik Cunningham, are charged in the April 1, 2024, murder of 29-year-old Randy Fader in Niagara Falls. While U.S. authorities claim Fader was involved in international drug trafficking, his family disputes this assertion. These murders are being prosecuted in the U.S. as they are believed to further a U.S. criminal organization. Further updates are expected as the investigation continues.