WASHINGTON (KABC) — Federal authorities have apprehended nearly a dozen individuals suspected of being part of a vast international drug network that allegedly smuggles approximately $1 billion in cocaine and other narcotics into the United States annually. This operation reportedly stretches from Mexico into Southern California.
However, the alleged mastermind behind this operation, a former Olympic snowboarder, remains at large.
Ryan James Wedding, a 44-year-old Canadian who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, is accused of leading a criminal organization responsible for transporting six metric tons of cocaine annually into Los Angeles using semitrucks from Mexico.
“Ryan Wedding is a modern-day version of Pablo Escobar,” remarked FBI Director Kash Patel during a press briefing on Wednesday. “He is akin to ‘El Chapo’ Guzman in today’s world.”
In Washington D.C., high-ranking U.S. law enforcement officials gathered to announce new federal charges against Wedding, alongside the announcement of a substantial $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
“Ryan Wedding has orchestrated attacks against his rivals, against those who cooperate with law enforcement, and against anyone who stands in his way,” stated Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
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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