Ex-Olympic snowboarder pleads not guilty to running billion-dollar drug-smuggling ring

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 2 min read 100% complete by Associated PressJanuary 27, 2026 at 12:28 AM

AI Summary

short article 2 min

Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding pleaded not guilty in a US court to charges of running a billion-dollar drug trafficking ring and orchestrating multiple killings. Wedding, who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, was one of the FBI’s top fugitives and had been hiding in Mexico for over a decade. US authorities allege he moved tons of cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Canada, and Southern California, operating under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. He faces separate drug charges in Canada dating back to 2015. While Mexican officials claim Wedding turned himself in at the US embassy in Mexico City, his defense lawyer disputes this, stating he was arrested.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Dominican Republic 30% Mexico City 40% Anthony Colombo ×250% Colombia ×260% Sinaloa Cartel 70% FBI ×270% Canada ×370% United States ×270% Mexico ×680% Ryan Wedding ×490%

Keywords

drug trafficking 100% drug smuggling ring 90% cocaine 80% sinaloa cartel 70% extradition 60% fbi most wanted 60% criminal indictment 50% olympic snowboarder 50% arrest 40% mexico 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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drug trafficking drug smuggling ring cocaine sinaloa cartel extradition fbi most wanted criminal indictment olympic snowboarder arrest mexico

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