Olympic Snowboarder Wanted In Connection With Trafficking Cocaine

A former member of the Canadian Olympic snowboarding team is wanted after being charged with running a drug trafficking operation that shipped cocaine all across the Americas.

I knew that snowboarders were always on the lookout for some fresh powder, but this is taking it to another level.

According to ABC News, the FBI is trying to track down Ryan James Wedding, a 43-year-old Canadian citizen believed to be living in Mexico.

They're offering a $50,000 reward for his capture, and I think it's safe to say that they want to get this done as soon as possible because Wedding is facing a laundry list of charges including running a criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to distribute cocaine among others.

Wedding and his drug trafficking cohorts are alleged to have moved shipments of cocaine out of Mexico and through California and into Canada and other parts of the United States.

Speaking of Canada, Wedding is facing charges in the Great White North as well and is one of 16 people facing charges in connection with this drug smuggling operation that was capable of moving as much as 60 tons of cocaine a year.

That's a lot of snow….

Former Canadian snowboarder Ryan Wedding shreds his way down the course at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. He is now facing numerous charges for cocaine trafficking in both the United States and Canada. ( Adam Pretty/Getty Images

According to the Olympics website, Wedding competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He took part in the Parallel Giant Slalom and finished 24th.

The Olympics website also mentions — for some reason — that Wedding was named in a 2006 search warrant in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, in which authorities were investigating a marijuana growing operation, however, Wedding was never charged.

In 2010, Wedding was sentenced to prison after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and served some time in prison. 

However, ABC News reports that it's believed that Wedding went back to the cocaine trafficking business after his release and has been in Mexico working under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel.