Olympic Snowboarder and 15 others Charged with Transnational Narcotics Smuggling

                 Ryan James Wedding — a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada — and fifteen others have been charged with participating in and orchestrating a transnational drug-trafficking organization that regularly shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine a day from Columbia to the US and Canada via Mexico. The indictment also alleges that the organization is responsible for the murder of several people in furtherance of its operation.[1]  In the coming weeks, many of the twelve defendants that have been arrested are expected to appear in court in Michigan, Miami, and Los Angeles.[2]  The charges and associated sentences vary, with some facing mandatory minimum sentences of 10 – 15 years in prison for drug trafficking and others facing a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison for charges of murder and attempted murder.  At this time, Wedding is still a fugitive and may be in Mexico.[3]  The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.[4]