LOS ANGELES — Ten people were arrested this week after federal prosecutors unsealed a nine-count indictment accusing a former Olympic snowboarder — now on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list — of directing the murder of a federal witness in Colombia.
Ryan James Wedding, 44, a Canadian national living in Mexico, is accused of running a violent drug-trafficking organization, laundering cocaine proceeds, and ordering killings to protect the enterprise. He is considered a fugitive.
The United States has increased its reward to up to $15 million for information leading to his capture.
The arrests are part of “Operation Giant Slalom,” a multinational investigation involving U.S., Canadian, and Colombian authorities. Those taken into custody include a Canadian criminal defense lawyer, a reggaeton performer, and the operator of a short-lived gangland news website.
According to prosecutors, Wedding ordered the Jan. 31 killing of a witness who had been cooperating in a separate 2024 federal drug case.
The victim was shot inside a restaurant in Medellín, Colombia, after associates allegedly tracked him down using information provided by members of the conspiracy.
Wedding is also charged in a 2024 indictment with running a continuing criminal enterprise, trafficking cocaine, and directing the 2023 killings of two family members in Caledon, Ontario, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment linked to Southern California.
A third family member survived, officials stated.
Authorities said Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, a Toronto-area criminal barrister, advised Wedding to kill the cooperating witness to avoid extradition. He also allegedly funneled court documents and insider information to the enterprise.
Another defendant, Gursewak Singh Bal, co-ran “The Dirty News,” a website seized by law enforcement. Prosecutors say he accepted payment to refrain from posting about Wedding and instead published an image of the victim to help co-conspirators locate him.
Reggaeton musician Edwin Basora-Hernandez is accused of supplying the victim’s contact information to the enterprise, according to authorities.
The arrests coincided with immigration enforcement actions against several associates, including Latin pop singer Samantha Melissa Granda-Gastelu. Her husband, Nahim Jorge Bonilla, is already in federal custody on separate murder-conspiracy and drug-trafficking charges.
Wedding and three other defendants — Rasheed Pascua Hossain of Vancouver; Bianca Canastillo-Madrid of Mexico City; and Tommy Demorizi of Montréal, believed to be in the Dominican Republic — remain at large.
If convicted, Wedding and others charged in the witness’s killing face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.