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Federal authorities have revealed the arrest of nearly a dozen individuals connected to an international drug syndicate, accused of funneling $1 billion worth of cocaine and other illegal substances annually from Mexico into Southern California.
However, the alleged mastermind, a former Olympic snowboarder, remains at large.
Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old Canadian who competed for his country in the 2002 Winter Olympics, stands accused of orchestrating a criminal operation that smuggles six metric tons of cocaine annually into Los Angeles using semitrucks from Mexico.
“Ryan Wedding represents a contemporary version of infamous drug lords like Pablo Escobar and ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel during a press briefing on Wednesday.
High-ranking law enforcement officials convened in Washington D.C. to unveil fresh federal charges against Wedding and announce a substantial $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.
“Ryan Wedding has orchestrated murders against his rivals, against cooperating witnesses, against anybody that crosses his path,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI in Los Angeles.
The charges allege Wedding, who’s on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list, ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug trafficking case, prosecutors said.
“The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “This week’s arrests underscore our resolve to root out and punish the wrongdoers involved in this criminal organization and serve as a warning for drug lord Ryan Wedding: If convicted, you will never see the outside of a prison ever again.”
Ten people were arrested Tuesday as part of a law enforcement action entitled Operation Giant Slalom:
- Deepak Balwant Paradkar, 62, a.k.a, “Cocaine Lawyer,” of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
- Atna Ohna, 40, of Laval, Québec, Canada
- Gursewak Singh Bal, 31, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
- Allistair Chapman, 33, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Ahmad Nabil Zitoun, 35, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Carmen Yelinet Valoyes Florez, 47, of Bogotá, Colombia
- Yulieth Katherine Tejada, 36, of Orlando, Florida, who is legal permanent resident from Colombia
- Edwin Basora-Hernandez, 31, a.k.a. “Edwin Hernandez,” and “Ed Winter,” of Montréal
- Wilson Riascos, 45, of Cali, Colombia
- Rolan Sokolovski, 37, of Toronto
ABC News contributed to this report.
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