Seven individuals linked to Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug lord, have been arrested in Canada. Wedding, 44, is wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple drug and murder charges and is currently on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He is believed to be hiding in Mexico.

The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that the reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture has increased from $10 million to $15 million. FBI Director Kash Patel described Wedding as a “modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar,” highlighting his significant role in a violent drug-trafficking organization.

Wedding, who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, is accused of orchestrating a cocaine smuggling operation that has resulted in numerous murders, including those of American citizens. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world.”

The arrests occurred on Tuesday as part of a coordinated law enforcement effort dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom.” Among those arrested was Deepak Paradkar, Wedding’s lawyer, who allegedly advised Wedding to kill a witness in a pending criminal case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “His lawyer told him, ‘If you kill this witness, the case would be dismissed.’” The witness was murdered in January 2025 in Medellin, Colombia.

Also arrested was Gursewak Singh Bal, 31, the founder of a website called “The Dirty News.” He is accused of being paid to post a photograph of the slain witness to facilitate the murder.

In addition to Paradkar and Bal, U.S. officials are seeking the extradition of the other five individuals arrested, who are believed to be part of Wedding’s drug trafficking network. The FBI claims that Wedding is being protected by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and is considered extremely dangerous.

U.S. authorities have also sanctioned Wedding and nine of his associates, freezing their U.S.-controlled assets and prohibiting Americans from conducting business with them. Investigators allege that Wedding has trafficked multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the U.S. and Canada, utilizing cryptocurrency to manage drug proceeds and orchestrating murders across the Americas.

The investigation continues as authorities work to dismantle Wedding’s criminal organization and bring those involved to justice.