The FBI was involved in the arrest of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian who had been on the run in Mexico for ten years while accused of drug-trafficking, even though the country bans foreign agents from being in law enforcement operations on its soil.
The agency’s involvement was supposed to be a secret, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, but FBI Director Kash Patel revealed it on social media. “Our FBI HRT teams executed with precision, discipline, and total professionalism alongside our Mexican partners to bring Ryan James Wedding back to face justice,” he said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the matter, challenging the claim and saying the U.S. wasn’t involved in the operation. “I’m not going to get into a debate with the FBI director, nor do I want there to be a conflict,” she said during a passage of her daily press conference on Tuesday. “What they, the U.S. authorities, told the Mexican authorities is that it was a voluntary surrender.”
She went on to reference an image on social media where Wedding was standing outside the embassy, showing he was turning himself in.
However, Anthony Colombo, Wedding’s attorney, disputed Sheinbaum’s account. He said his client was arrested. “If the U.S. government is unilaterally going into a sovereign country and apprehending somebody, you can understand the concern that sovereign entity might have,” he added.
The DOJ had unveiled new charges against Wedding last November, alleging that he ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug-trafficking case. The killing took place in January at a restaurant in Colombia, according to U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Los Angeles Bill Essayli.
“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,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Wedding competed in the men’s parallel giant slalom event for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing in 24th place.
Along with accomplice Andrew Clark, he was indicted in California in June 2024 on charges including running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder in connection with the enterprise, and conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine. Clark was arrested in October 2023 by Mexican authorities and was among 29 fugitives extradited to the U.S. in November. Wedding has pleaded not guilty to the 17 charges leveled against him.
Originally published on Latin Times
