CBC Lite Sections News • World WORLD Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding arrested after a decade on the run Posted: January 23, 2026 2:43 PM | Last Updated: January 23 Former Olympic snowboarder now in U.S. custody, will face murder and drug trafficking charges Embed | Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding in U.S. custody Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The Latest The Latest * A Canadian former Olympian accused of running a murderous, transnational criminal empire has been arrested in the United States after a decade on the run. * The FBI said Ryan Wedding, 44, was taken into custody yesterday in Mexico and is now in custody in the U.S. * The bureau didn't provide many more details, like whether it was a tip that helped authorities find their target or whether the $15-million US reward for information might be paid out. * The arrest takes Wedding, a former Team Canada snowboarder, off the top of the FBI's most-wanted list. Updates January 23, 2026 11:47 PM What we learned — and didn't learn — about Wedding's arrest Sarah Petz Image | RYAN WEDDING (Federal Bureau of Investigation) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Law enforcement officials said Wedding's arrest after a decade on the run was the result of a complex, high-stakes mission that involved several agencies. However, we're still in the dark about several details, including how investigators knew the Canadian's whereabouts, and whether the $15-million US reward for information will be paid out. In a social media post, FBI director Kash Patel said Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico last night and would be transported to the U.S., where he's facing several charges related to murder and drug trafficking. At a news conference today, officials spent a lot of time congratulating each other — but shed little light on how the alleged drug kingpin was finally taken into custody. Meanwhile, a prominent Mexican security analyst told CBC News that U.S. authorities were in contact with Wedding before his surrender at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Wedding is set to appear in federal court in L.A. on Monday, where he'll be required to enter a plea. January 23, 2026 10:31 PM Watch: FBI video shows Wedding arriving in U.S. Jan Zeschky Embed | Captured Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding lands in U.S. Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The FBI has released video of Wedding arriving in the U.S. on Friday following his surrender and arrest in Mexico City. The edited clip shows an airliner taxiing into the airport in Ontario, Calif., before an FBI agent leads Wedding, in handcuffs, out of a rear door of the plane. Wedding — wearing jeans, a grey sweatshirt, black vest and black ballcap — is expressionless as he's led down the stairs and across the tarmac, surrounded by agents. January 23, 2026 9:01 PM Thomas Daigle For those still wondering about the fate of the $15-million US award for information leading to Wedding's capture: a State Department official who spoke to CBC News on background today declined to say whether anyone is eligible to claim the money. "Only the secretary of state has the authority to determine if a reward will be paid, as well as the amount of the reward to be paid. In cases where there is federal criminal jurisdiction, the secretary must obtain the concurrence of the attorney general," the official said. January 23, 2026 8:44 PM Wedding was in contact with U.S. authorities before surrender, security analyst says Jorge Barrera U.S. authorities were in contact with Wedding before his surrender at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, according to a prominent security analyst based in the city. David Saucedo, who regularly appears in Mexican media offering commentary on security and political issues, said Patel decided to travel to Mexico City once U.S. authorities and Wedding had agreed on a time for the surrender. "So [Patel] planned this lightning visit to Mexico to coincide with the surrender of Ryan Wedding, to bolster the perception that, thanks to him, he obtained this major victory with the arrest of the No. 1 fugitive of the United States," Saucedo said. Saucedo said his information was based on conversations with Mexican security sources. He said Wedding was running out of options as Mexican and U.S. authorities closed in on him. After losing the protection of the faction of the Sinaloa cartel still controlled by the sons of Joaquín Guzmán — the drug lord known as El Chapo who is serving a life sentence in the U.S. — Wedding faced a choice of turning himself over to Mexican authorities or to U.S. justice, Saucedo said. January 23, 2026 8:03 PM Vanity Fair interview sheds more light on arrest Sarah Petz In an interview with Vanity Fair , Patel offered more details around Wedding's arrest. The article said the FBI worked with Mexican law enforcement to arrest Wedding in the middle of the night. Wedding was taken into custody after an intense negotiation by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, the same team behind the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to the magazine. In his interview with the magazine, which published a profile of his girlfriend yesterday , Patel said the team was prepared to use significant force to take Wedding into custody if necessary. The field office spokesperson for the FBI in Los Angeles, Laura Eimiller, declined to independently confirm the timeline as laid out in the Vanity Fair article. "The FBI has confirmed that Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico and returned to the United States this morning. I'm unable to comment further at this time," she said. January 23, 2026 7:06 PM Killings of Indian couple in Ontario traced back to Wedding Thomas Daigle Image | Jagtar Sidhu and Harbhajan Sidhu (Submitted by Gurdit Singh Sidhu) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Wedding's arrest will resonate with an Indian family whose mother and father were killed in a mistaken-identity shooting in Caledon, Ont., in November 2023. Jagtar Sidhu and his wife Harbhajan Sidhu were targeted by an unidentified gunman over a stolen cocaine shipment that had passed through southern California. Authorities later said the murder had been ordered by Wedding and his alleged second-in-command, fellow Canadian Andrew Clark. Both men are charged with murder in connection with the attack. The Sidhus' 28-year-old daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, witnessed the rampage and was shot 13 times herself. She survived, but suffered what police called "life-altering injuries." January 23, 2026 6:11 PM More on Wedding's upcoming court appearance Thomas Daigle Wedding will be required to enter a plea when he appears in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Wedding faces a list of charges related to murder and drug trafficking, having been indicted twice by grand juries in California since 2024. January 23, 2026 6:10 PM Questions remain around who gave investigators key information about Wedding’s whereabouts Thomas Daigle Image | Ont-Oly-Athlete-Wanted 20241017 (Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab In November, authorities in Canada and Colombia made at least 11 arrests in a co-ordinated takedown of Wedding’s network. Among those arrested was Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, 47, of Bogotá, Colombia. U.S. Treasury officials identified her as a “Colombian national who runs a high-end prostitution ring in Mexico.” The Treasury previously said in a statement that Valoyes assisted Wedding with the murder of an FBI witness in January 2025. “Valoyes introduced Wedding to his Colombian girlfriend, Daniela Alejandra Acuna Macias,” the Treasury’s statement read. “Acuna has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wedding, whom she knew from the beginning of their relationship to live a lifestyle funded by violent narcotics trafficking. She has assisted Wedding in obtaining information on his rivals.” It’s unclear where Valoyes has been held in custody. January 23, 2026 6:01 PM Rhianna Schmunk Image | USA-CANADA/CRIME (Mike Blake/Reuters) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab In its own statement on Wedding's arrest, the RCMP said, "This is a great day for public safety in Canada" and a success for international co-operation between law enforcement officials. "The RCMP collaborated closely with the FBI throughout the investigation, in Canada and around the world. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the FBI on their leadership of this investigation and thank them for their collaboration," read a statement from RCMP Comm. Michael Duheme. January 23, 2026 6:00 PM Messaging from Mexico this morning Jorge Barrera Image | 2245388382 (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection Omar Harfuch, the country’s top civilian security official, spent about an hour and a half this morning on a stage with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a morning news conference in the Gulf state of Veracruz. The news that Ryan Wedding was in U.S. custody broke during the news conference. Harfuch did not mention anything about the Wedding case during the event, and no journalists asked any questions on the subject. At about 9:30 a.m. ET, Harfuch's office sent out a news release and posted a statement on X announcing that a "Canadian" had turned himself in to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Thursday. The information was buried at the bottom of a statement about a meeting between FBI head Kash Patel, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and Mexican security officials that was also held Thursday. January 23, 2026 6:00 PM Wedding's arrest was the FBI's 6th most-wanted arrest in a year Amy Husser Embed | FBI official on allegations against Ryan Wedding, what's next after arrest Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. During today's news conference, Patel touted Wedding's arrest as the sixth capture from the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives list in a year. Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's L.A. field office, later said it's also the 500th capture since the list's inception 75 years ago — an anniversary marked last year. Also on board the plane that carried Wedding back to the U.S. from Mexico was a fellow top 10 most-wanted fugitive, Alejandro (Alex) Rosales Castillo, wanted in the alleged 2016 murder of his 23-year-old co-worker, who was found dead in a wooded area near Charlotte, N.C. That arrest had previously been announced on Saturday. January 23, 2026 5:50 PM Anya Zoledziowski John Pistole, a former FBI deputy director, spoke with CBC News Network about the plane and said it's "unusual" to have an FBI director get as involved as Patel in an arrest like that, including via jet travel. It's a "new era," Pistole said. January 23, 2026 5:48 PM The news conference was sparse on details, but it wasn’t sparse on politics Anya Zoledziowski Image | USA-CANADA/CRIME (Mike Blake/Reuters) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab "Thank god we have a president who backs the blue," Patel told reporters. (The blue represents police or law enforcement.) It was one of several comments that Patel made about U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. Throughout the presser, Patel repeatedly praised Trump and framed Wedding's arrest as a political success. Notably, Patel also referred to the FBI plane that was parked behind him. The FBI director has faced hefty criticism for using the FBI jet excessively, but today he nodded at the ways it's being used in the manhunt against Wedding and his associates. There's still little clarity around Patel's use of the jet, though. January 23, 2026 5:39 PM Patel praises Trump administration for supporting law enforcement Holly Cabrera Image | USA-CANADA/CRIME (Mike Blake/Reuters) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Patel also used the news conference to praise the Trump administration, calling Wedding's arrest a "great operation that came together through inter-agency success." "No one behind me and to the side of me cares about credit; they care about putting away the bad guys and safeguarding our communities," Patel said. "That is the leadership that President Trump brought to the presidency. That is the support that he has brought to law enforcement from coast to coast." Patel noted that six of the 10 most-wanted FBI fugitives were captured in one year — two more than during "the entirety of the prior administration," according to the FBI director. January 23, 2026 5:29 PM Law enforcement agencies speak about their collaborative efforts Anya Zoledziowski The manhunt targeting Ryan Wedding came to pass through collaborations between several law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the RCMP. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that, in addition to Wedding's arrest, the collective effort led to the seizure of massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamines, firearms and some $55 million US in illicit assets. Officials have spent a lot of time thanking each other during this news conference, with RCMP and U.S. law enforcement agencies praising each other for the arrest. January 23, 2026 5:23 PM Anya Zoledziowski The news conference did not offer many details. Patel said he won't yet comment on rewards offered, for instance. We also don't know whether someone tipped off law enforcement. But more news will likely break in the coming days, especially as Wedding makes his way through the criminal justice system. January 23, 2026 5:19 PM Wedding to appear in court Monday Adam Carter Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said at today's news conference that Wedding will be held in custody over the weekend. He is expected to have his initial court appearance Monday morning. Davis also said 36 people have been arrested for their roles in Wedding's organization, which "tormented families." "Today, they get the justice that they sought," he said. January 23, 2026 5:09 PM Arrest is a 'historic achievement': FBI director Adam Carter Image | USA-CANADA/CRIME (Mike Blake/Reuters) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab FBI Director Kash Patel is speaking first, calling Wedding's arrest a "record, historic achievement" that was made possible by law enforcement agencies coming together to "fight crime on all corners of the earth." "This is what a united front looks like," Patel said. He went on to say that Wedding's enterprise poured hundreds of kilos of cocaine into communities and led to the deaths of "too many people." "That ends today," Patel said. January 23, 2026 4:56 PM Amy Husser A joint news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme was scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, but it is clearly running behind. We don't know why, but please stay tuned, as we'll carry it live here above. January 23, 2026 4:55 PM Wedding's arrest a blow to the drug trade, says former DEA agent Adam Carter Image | RAW NN MIKE CHAVARRIA (CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Speaking on CBC News Network on Friday, retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent Mike Chavarria called Wedding's arrest a win for law enforcement in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. "It's a blow to the drug trade in general," Chavarria said. He also called Wedding a "very significant" player who helped facilitate cocaine trafficking around the world. "For Canada, he is clearly a kingpin. He holds kingpin status," Chavarria said. January 23, 2026 4:39 PM Wedding to face 'full force of justice,' U.S. prosecutor says Adam Carter Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, is in charge of prosecuting Wedding. He posted on online that Wedding will "face the full force of justice for his charges," while applauding Bondi and Patel’s handling of the case. January 23, 2026 4:31 PM A look at some of Wedding's alleged associates Thomas Daigle Image | Rolan Sokolovski (Alexandra Newbould/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Several of Wedding's alleged associates remain in custody and face extradition to the U.S. Among them is Toronto-area lawyer Deepak Paradkar, . He's accused of counselling Wedding to order the murder of Montreal-born FBI informant Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia. Toronto jeweller Rolan Sokolovski, who is accused of acting as a primary money launderer for Wedding's network, . He remains in custody in Ontario and is set to learn whether he'll be released on bail on Feb. 20. A total of eight Canadians were arrested in November as part of the ongoing investigation targeting Wedding. January 23, 2026 4:08 PM Wedding arrested Thursday night Adam Carter Patel says Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico last night and is being transported from Mexico to the U.S. "This is a huge day for a safer North America, and the world, and a message that those who break our laws and harm our citizens will be brought to justice," he wrote. In her post, Bondi noted that Wedding was on the FBI's top 10 most-wanted list, calling him a "onetime Olympian snowboarder-turned alleged violent cocaine kingpin." January 23, 2026 4:07 PM How did Wedding evade arrest for so long? Anya Zoledziowski As Jorge mentioned, authorities long believed that Wedding was under the protection of the infamously dangerous Sinaloa cartel in Mexico. Practically speaking, though, many factors likely played a role in his ability to avoid arrest: Wedding had cartel connections, he may have been tipped off by powerful sources and he allegedly coerced potential witnesses into silence through violence — or at least the threat of violence. He also had several aliases and may have been insulated by accomplices. You can read more about Wedding's rich playbook my our colleague Thomas Daigle. January 23, 2026 4:06 PM U.S. claimed Wedding was under cartel protection Jorge Barrera Image | Canada Drug Extradition (Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab I’m Jorge Barrera, Mexico City correspondent for CBC News. U.S. authorities had claimed that Wedding was in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. We travelled to Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, in December . The cartel operative told us that he believed U.S. authorities had inflated the image of Wedding and said he doubted that the former Canadian Olympian was under the cartel's protection, because the international drug trafficking organization was consumed by an internal civil war. Featured Media Embed | Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding in FBI custody after a decade on the run Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | Captured Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding lands in U.S. Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | FBI official on allegations against Ryan Wedding, what's next after arrest Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | Who is Ryan Wedding? Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding compared to Pablo Escobar Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | New photos show fugitive Ryan Wedding’s changing appearance Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | Breaking down Ryan Wedding’s alleged network of organized crime Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Embed | Ryan Wedding’s path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. For images and videos read the full story. CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. 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