Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding was arrested in connection with a massive drug trafficking case, two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation confirmed to NBC News on Friday (January 23).

Wedding, 44, is accused of running a transnational drug trafficking organization that imported an estimated 60 metric tons of cocaine into Los Angeles annually, Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously said during a press conference. The former snowboarder was already accused accused of running a multinational drug trafficking network and orchestrating multiple murders before being accused of ordering the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in the U.S. federal trial, Bondi announced in November.

"Wedding collaborates closely with the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, to flood not only American but also Canadian communities with cocaine coming from Colombia. His organization is responsible for importing approximately six metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semi trucks from Mexico," Bondi said during a press briefing on November 19 via ABC News, adding that Wedding is the "leader of a transnational criminal enterprise."

Wedding, who represented Canada and finished 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, was already wanted on charges for leading "a transnational organized crime group that engaged in cocaine trafficking and murder, including of innocent civilians,” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada announced in October 2024. Wedding was reported to have led the drug trafficking organization from 2011 to 2024 with Andrew Clark, who was arrested in Mexico in September, serving as his second-in-command.

The duo reportedly moved 60 tons of cocaine annually during what was described as an "extremely prolific" enterprise.

“They were killers. Anyone who got in there way they would target with violence, including murder,” Estrada said in September.

The FBI had previously offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Wedding's arrest.

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