LOS ANGELES
“The FBI remains steadfast in its mission to identify, target, and dismantle violent transnational organized crime syndicates in our communities. Today, in collaboration with several local, federal, and international partners, we reaffirm our commitment to the American people by dismantling a violent organized crime network trafficking large quantities of drugs into the United States and orchestrating multiple homicides to eliminate the competition,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The organization, led by former Olympian Ryan Wedding, cultivated a violent transnational drug trafficking empire that extended from Canada to the United States, Mexico, and Colombia. While key members of Wedding’s criminal enterprise were successfully apprehended this week, he remains at large. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for any information leading to his arrest.”
“Organized Crime groups create immense harm in all our communities, not just with the poisons they ship, but through the tragic violence that inevitably comes with it,” said Liam Price, Director General, International Special Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “This network presented a threat to communities in Canada, the United States and overseas. That is why we, as Canada’s national police force, worked closely with the FBI and others to disrupt it.”
During the investigation, law enforcement seized over one ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 in cash, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.
According to the superseding indictment, in March 2024, the organization delivered about 293 kilograms (646 pounds) of cocaine to representatives of Hardeep Ratte and Gurpreet Singh for shipment to Canada.
The following month, they attempted to deliver approximately 375 kilograms (827 pounds) of cocaine, but authorities intercepted and seized it.
In total, the group allegedly handled about 1,800 kilograms (1.8 metric tons) of cocaine, with a street value between $23.4 and $25.2 million in Los Angeles.
Several of the defendants arrested are expected to appear in court in the coming week in Los Angeles, Michigan, and Miami.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted, Wedding, Clark, and Cunningham would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges. The continuing criminal enterprise charges also carry a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison. The drug trafficking charges carry mandatory minimum penalties between 10 and 15 years in prison.
The FBI investigated this matter with the Los Angeles Police Department, the DEA Los Angeles, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—Federal Policing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi Allsop and Maria Jhai of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Ryan Waters of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance.