A dramatic international law-enforcement sweep has led to the arrest of ten individuals across multiple countries, following the unsealing of a nine-count federal grand jury indictment that paints a chilling picture of a global drug trafficking empire marked by violence, intimidation, and the brazen killing of a federal witness. Eleven suspects, in total, are now in custody. The case centres on Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old former Olympic snowboarder who has transformed into one of the worldβs most wanted narcotics traffickers and is currently listed on the FBIβs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives roster. According to U.S. authorities, Weddingβs metamorphosis from athlete to alleged cartel boss now includes accusations of commissioning a cold-blooded murder in Colombia earlier this year to silence a witness in an ongoing criminal matter.
Wedding, a Canadian citizen residing in Mexico, is described in the indictment as the leader of a violent transnational criminal enterprise built on the trafficking of massive quantities of cocaine smuggled from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States. Prosecutors allege that the former Olympianβs organisation not only ferried tonnes of cocaine yearly but also relied on threats, intimidation, and murder to enforce loyalty, evade justice, and protect its financial interests. Following his placement on the Ten Most Wanted List in March 2025, the FBI, State Department, and Treasury Department jointly raised the reward for information leading to his arrest or prosecution to $15 million, one of the highest reward amounts ever set for a fugitive linked to narcotics-related violence.
The indictment alleges that Wedding orchestrated the January 31, 2025 killing of a federal witness in MedellΓn, Colombia. The victim, who had been cooperating with U.S. authorities in a 2024 narcotics case against Wedding, was shot dead in a restaurant after the kingpin allegedly placed a bounty on his head. Prosecutors say Wedding enlisted intermediaries to track, identify, and assassinate the witness in order to obstruct extradition and derail the federal case. The murder, U.S. officials stated, was both calculated and ruthless, an act that demanded an equally forceful response.
On Tuesday, U.S., Canadian, and Colombian authorities moved into a coordinated second phase of βOperation Giant Slalom,β arresting the following ten suspects across North America: Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, from Ontario; Atna Ohna, 40, from Quebec; Gursewak Singh Bal, 31, from Ontario; Allistair Chapman, 33, from Alberta; Ahmad Nabil Zitoun, 35, also from Alberta; Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, 47, of BogotΓ‘; Yulieth Katherine Tejada, 36, a Colombian U.S. resident living in Orlando; Edwin Basora-Hernandez, 31, of Montreal; Wilson Riascos, 45, from Cali; and Rolan Sokolovski, 37, from Toronto. These arrests mark a major breakthrough, but Wedding himself remains at large, as do three additional suspectsβRasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, from Vancouver; Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, from Mexico City; and Tommy Demorizi, 35, believed to be hiding in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi did not mince words, describing Wedding as the architect of one of the worldβs most violent and prolific narcotics networks with ties to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. She vowed that authorities would not relent until his empire is dismantled. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli condemned the killing of the cooperating witness as a βcruel, cold-blooded act,β emphasising that the arrests represent a direct response to that atrocity and serve as a warning to Wedding that conviction would mean nothing less than spending the rest of his life behind bars.
FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the global reach of Weddingβs alleged criminal activities, noting that the organisation trafficked enormous quantities of cocaine into U.S. communities while simultaneously deploying violence as a tool of control. Patel reaffirmed the FBIβs commitment to pursuing Wedding wherever he hides. Akil Davis, who leads the FBIβs Los Angeles Field Office, described the operation as a major step in a sprawling international investigation spanning multiple countries and involving law enforcement partnerships bound by a shared mission: capturing Wedding, securing justice for murder victims, and cutting off the flow of deadly drugs into North America.
The indictment reveals startling details about the roles of various conspirators. Among them is Paradkar, a Canadian criminal barrister accused not only of advising Wedding to murder the witness to prevent extradition, but also of supplying him with confidential court documents and facilitating access to arrested associates through attorneys he helped arrange. Another key alleged conspirator, Bal, ran an outlaw-flavoured website called βThe Dirty News.β Prosecutors say Bal agreed to suppress reporting about Wedding in exchange for payment and even posted the witnessβs photograph to help locate him for the purpose of assassination. Basora-Hernandez, a reggaeton performer from the Dominican Republic, also stands accused of providing contact information that enabled the deadly plot.
In addition to the arrests, authorities initiated immigration enforcement measures against individuals connected to Weddingβs enterprise, including Latin pop artist Samantha Melissa Granda-Gastelu, a Canadian national residing in Florida. Her husband, Nahim Jorge Bonilla, is already in U.S. federal custody on murder conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. Immigration proceedings have also begun against Madeline Paradkar, a Chicago-based attorney and daughter of the indicted barrister.
The broader indictment also ties Wedding to earlier acts of murder, including the November 20, 2023 killings of two family members in Caledon, Ontario, linked to a stolen drug shipment that had passed through Southern California. A third family member survived that attack but sustained severe injuries. Prosecutors charge that these killings further demonstrate the brutality used to maintain Weddingβs authority and retaliate against perceived betrayal.
Authorities say Operation Giant Slalom is only one part of a sweeping federal effort. The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative deploying the full weight of the U.S. Justice Department to combat transnational organized crime, illegal drug networks, and violent cartels. It is also tied to the Homeland Security Task Force established under Executive Order 14159, designed to dismantle human-smuggling pipelines, cartel networks, and foreign criminal organisations targeting the United States.
The indictment remains a set of allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the scale of the coordinated operation, the international alliances involved, and the extraordinary reward placed on Ryan Weddingβs capture underscore the gravity of the case. As U.S. agencies intensify efforts to hunt him down, the former Olympianβs dramatic descent into the criminal underworld continues to unfold, leaving a trail of violence across multiple countries and prompting one of the most wide-ranging transnational investigations in recent years. Authorities say they will not rest until he is found.
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