### Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Wanted by FBI for Drug and Murder Charges

A former Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding, now faces an array of severe charges, marking a dramatic shift from his days on the slopes. The 43-year-old Canadian, who competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, was charged in California in September with serious criminal offenses.

The charges against Wedding include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export cocaine, murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and attempting to commit murder in association with the same illicit activities. The FBI alleges that Wedding was heavily involved in a transnational drug trafficking operation, which ferried hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, into Canada and various parts of the United States.

Further compounding the severity of the allegations, Wedding is accused of orchestrating multiple murders to further his drug enterprises’ goals. U.S. authorities are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his capture.

Wedding's legal troubles span across borders, with years-old charges pending in Canada. He is one of 16 individuals charged in relation to a drug ring reportedly responsible for moving an astonishing 60 tons of cocaine annually, according to the Associated Press. Despite the substantial indictments, Wedding, along with three others from the same criminal network, remains at large.