• Ryan Wedding accused of causing the death of a Canadian man before he could testify against his international syndicate

• US authorities uncover extensive smuggling network and offer a reward for his capture

Former Olympic snowboarder and international gang leader Ryan Wedding has been accused by US authorities of killing a man who was set to testify against him in an international smuggling case

US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Wedding is accused of revealing the location of a witness in Colombia, who was killed before he could give evidence

Wedding, also known by the nicknames “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” is alleged to have overseen the transport of hundreds of kilograms of prohibited substances from Colombia through Mexico and southern California into Canada, in what Bondi called “one of the most prolific and violent smuggling organizations in the world

“We are coming for you. We will find you. And you will be held accountable for your crimes,” Bondi said

Authorities also announced the arrest of Canadian lawyer Deepak Paradkar from Ontario, who allegedly advised Wedding to target witness Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, a Canadian citizen who was shot dead in a Medellín restaurant in January

Bill Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, said Paradkar was among ten people recently arrested in an “international takedown.” He added that the lawyer told Wedding: “If you eliminate this witness, the case will be dismissed

Another Canadian citizen from Montreal, Atna Onha, was arrested and charged with conspiring to commit the murder of Acebedo-Garcia, a former member of Wedding’s organization

FBI Director Kash Patel stated: “Make no mistake: Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar and El Chapo Guzmán

The US State Department raised the reward for Wedding’s capture and conviction from $10 million to $15 million

Wedding, 43, grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and competed for Team Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games, finishing 24th in the parallel giant slalom

Four years after the Olympics, Wedding was named in a search warrant concerning a marijuana cultivation operation in British Columbia, though he was not formally charged at the time.

In 2010, Wedding was convicted of trafficking prohibited substances after attempting to purchase some from a US government agent and was sentenced to four years in prison

In the following years, he rose to become a powerful and ruthless leader of a transnational smuggling organization

Canadian RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, present at the press conference, said seven Canadians had been arrested, adding that Wedding’s organization likely generates over $1 billion annually

The US Treasury Department also announced sanctions against Ryan Wedding and nine other individuals associated with his criminal network