The story of Ryan Wedding is a startling tale of a life dramatically off course. Just over two decades ago, he was a Canadian athlete competing on the world’s grandest stage at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, representing national pride in the men’s parallel giant slalom snowboarding event. Today, his name is etched on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, accompanied by a staggering reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his capture.
He is no longer seen as a sportsman but as the alleged leader of a sophisticated transnational criminal enterprise, linked to several violent acts while evading authorities from his believed hideout in Mexico. His journey from the snowy peaks of international competition to the world of organized crime networks reads like a dark thriller, yet it is the focus of an intense international manhunt.
This dramatic transformation raises many questions about the man behind the accusations. Beyond the headlines of trafficking in illegal substances and violent crimes, there is a personal story involving marriages that have been pulled into the orbit of his alleged criminal empire. Understanding who Ryan James Wedding is involves looking at both his very public fall from grace and the private relationships that have been intertwined with his life on the run.
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From Olympic Slope to Crime Boss
Ryan Wedding’s life began in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1981, born into a family deeply passionate about skiing and the outdoors. His natural talent for snowboarding emerged after his family moved to Coquitlam, British Columbia. He won the very first race he ever entered and, showing prodigious skill, made the Canadian National Ski Team at just 15 years old. His early promise was confirmed with medals at the Junior World Championships, which paved his way to competing for Canada at the 2002 Olympics. However, his Olympic dream culminated in a 24th-place finish, a result that reportedly left him disillusioned with the path of competitive sports.
The US Department of State offers a reward of up to $15 million for info leading to the arrest &/or conviction of #FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan James Wedding, wanted for allegedly running & participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation: https://t.co/YyLpIU4Nmi pic.twitter.com/3DdiopiL9W
— FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) November 19, 2025
After the Olympics, Wedding’s life took a dark turn. He attended Simon Fraser University briefly and worked as a bouncer, but soon dropped out and began financing a lavish lifestyle through crime. His first major venture was a massive illegal cultivation operation on a property known as Eighteen Carrot Farms, which was raided by the RCMP in 2006.
Police found an estimated $10 million worth of psychoactive drugs, but Wedding, who was not present during the raid, avoided charges. He then escalated to trafficking in illegal substances and was convicted in 2010 for attempting to buy 24 kilograms of drugs from a U.S. government agent, leading to a four-year prison sentence. It was during his time behind bars that he began forging connections that would propel him further into the criminal underworld.
Authorities allege that after his release, Ryan Wedding’s operations grew in scale and violence. He is now accused of running a prolific criminal trafficking enterprise, known as “The Wedding Criminal Enterprise,” which worked closely with the transnational crime group to move large-scale shipments of illegal substances from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States and Canada.
The U.S. Department of Justice charges him with leading a continuing criminal enterprise and orchestrating several murders, including the fatal incidents of an Indian couple in Ontario, in a case of mistaken identity. His alleged use of advanced and forceful tactics earned him a place on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025, with nicknames like “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.”
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Relationships and Family Life
Ryan Wedding’s personal life, particularly his marriages, has been drawn into the narrative of his criminal career. While serving his prison sentence in the United States, Wedding married an Iranian-born woman from British Columbia on Valentine’s Day in 2011. This was not a typical wedding, as it took place within the Reeves County Detention Center in Texas. In an interview, his ex-wife stated that he had claimed his conviction was simply a matter of being “at the wrong place at the wrong time.” The couple eventually separated, and she has since remarried. Her name later surfaced in unrelated Canadian police investigations into money laundering and a kidnapping, though she has not been charged with any crime and denies any wrongdoing.
🚨 BREAKING: AG Pam Bondi announces the reward for Ryan Wedding is now $15 Million Dollars pic.twitter.com/tSD9wr470P
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) November 19, 2025
As a fugitive in Mexico, Wedding formed a new relationship with Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno, who is currently identified as his wife by U.S. authorities. Unlike his previous marriage, Castillo Moreno is described as an active participant in his criminal life. The U.S. Treasury Department states that she launders illicit proceeds for Wedding and has even helped him conduct acts of violence. This relationship appears to be a partnership that extends into the operations of his alleged criminal organization.
When it comes to children, there is a notable absence of information. None of the extensive reports from law enforcement or investigative journalism mentions Ryan Wedding having any kids. The focus of official statements regarding his family has been exclusively on the two women he married and their alleged roles in his financial and criminal activities, with no reference to the next generation.
