charged<\/a> with drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder, witness tampering and money laundering.<\/p>\nOfficials in the US allege that Wedding\u2019s organisation had moved nearly 60 metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles from Mexico using a network of semitrucks. Wedding is also accused of ordering the killing of a key FBI witness as well as several other murders, including that of a couple who were killed in a case of mistaken identity.<\/p>\n
Since 2023, the RCMP and the FBI have been collaborating on a sprawling investigation known as Operation Giant Slalom. In March, 2025, Wedding was added to the FBI\u2019s Most Wanted List.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe told you in November we would find Mr Wedding. Today, that day has arrived,\u201d said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI\u2019s Los Angeles field office. \u201cThe long arm of the law extends beyond our border.\u201d<\/p>\n
David said the arrest was a \u201cgood day\u201d for victims. \u201cRyan Wedding tormented several people and several families that will never be the same,\u201d he said. \u201cBut today, they get the justice that they sought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis said in addition to \u201ccrushing sanctions\u201d against 19 people, including Wedding, authorities also seized a Mercedes sports car worth $15m and motorcycles worth $40m.<\/p>\n
US authorities had previously said that they believed Wedding to be in hiding in Mexico. On Thursday, Patel was in Mexico City for what he called \u201cpre-planned\u201d meetings with the country\u2019s security chief, Garc\u00eda Harfuch. And on Friday morning he left with a souvenir: Ryan Wedding, and another, unnamed, \u201cpriority objective\u201d.<\/p>\n
The decision for an FBI director to be present in the field for an arrest is exceedingly rare and speaks to the political focus on capturing Wedding.<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda Harfuch released a statement saying that Patel was leaving with \u201ca non-US citizen who was arrested by Mexican authorities and is among the FBI\u2019s 10 most wanted, and a Canadian citizen who voluntarily surrendered yesterday at the US embassy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s true that he handed himself in, this may be an attempt to negotiate better terms,\u201d said Cecilia Farf\u00e1n-M\u00e9ndez, an analyst with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime. \u201cMaybe it gives him a little more room for manoeuvre.\u201d<\/p>\n
Or there could be another explanation: he feared for his safety in Mexico, said Farf\u00e1n-M\u00e9ndez.<\/p>\n
The arrest comes at a time of tension in North America, with Mark Carney and Donald Trump clashing at Davos, and renewed threats of US military strikes on Mexican cartel targets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a message from the secretary of state, talking about the need for tangible results [against organised crime],\u201d said Farf\u00e1n-M\u00e9ndez. \u201cI think grabbing Ryan Wedding is a very media-friendly way to show tangible results. I think it could be filed under that column.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alejandro Rosales Castillo, one of the FBI\u2019s 10 most wanted fugitives, who is accused of the murder of a woman in North Carolina in 2016, was also arrested. A US citizen, he crossed the border to Mexico in 2017 and was in hiding for almost a decade until he was captured in Pachuca, Hidalgo, on 16 January.<\/p>\n
NBC News first announced news of the arrest and US law enforcement officials familiar with the operation confirmed it to the Guardian.<\/p>\n
In March, the FBI announced a $15m reward for the capture of Wedding, whose nicknames include \u201cPublic Enemy\u201d, \u201cEl Jefe\u201d and \u201cGiant\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the time,Patel, compared Wedding to Pablo Escobar and Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n.<\/p>\n
The head of the RCMP, Michael Duheme was also present at the announcement and said \u201cno single country\u201d can break up transnational drug-trafficking organizations.<\/p>\n
Wedding was allegedly being protected by the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico while he was on the run.<\/p>\n
Some analysts have suggested that Wedding\u2019s significance in the international drug trade had been exaggerated by US authorities and the media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a high-level characterisation of Wedding as a major kingpin. There was a $15m reward for him. At least from a media standpoint, he was a big fish,\u201d said Farf\u00e1n-M\u00e9ndez. \u201cBut I think the indictment gives a different sense of proportion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though US authorities claim Wedding\u2019s enterprise was trafficking 60 tonnes of cocaine a year, this figure does not appear in the indictment, which only mentions specific cases of a few hundred kilos being moved at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese arrests are important for law enforcement,\u201d said Farf\u00e1n-M\u00e9ndez. \u201cBut whether they impact [drug] supply is another question.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Canadian #Olympic #snowboarder #turned #alleged #cocaine #kingpin #custody #Canada<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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