The U.S. government has expanded charges against a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted for drug trafficking and murder whom officials believe is hiding in Mexico.
Ryan Wedding is the lead defendant in an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday. It charges him with orchestrating the killing of a potential witness in Colombia in January to help avoid extradition to the United States.
“The murder of a witness in Colombia earlier this year was a cruel, cold-blooded act that could not and did not go unanswered,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
The former Olympic snowboarder is believed to reside in Mexico and is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Ten other defendants are also named in the indictment in a California federal court.
The United States has raised the reward for Wedding to $15 million and announced sanctions on him and nine individuals they say are closely associated with him. Officials say Wedding works closely with the Sinaloa cartel, which they say is protecting him in Mexico.
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