U.S. authorities have unveiled two fresh photographs of Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding as the FBI escalates its manhunt for the alleged drug lord. One of the images, described by the FBI as “newly obtained,” captures Wedding, aged 44, shirtless in bed, showcasing a prominent lion tattoo on his chest. This photo is believed to have been taken in Mexico during the previous summer, as stated by the FBI’s Los Angeles field office in a social media update on Monday.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico released what seems to be an older picture of the fugitive, originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, donning a green T-shirt with a shaved head. However, officials did not disclose the specific time or location of this driver’s license or passport-style photograph.
Wedding, a former Canadian snowboarder who participated in the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, was recently included on the FBI’s top 10 most-wanted fugitives list. The U.S. administration raised the reward for any information leading to his capture to $15 million USD, up from the previous $10 million USD.
Accused of overseeing a deadly criminal network that regularly traffics large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin from Mexico and South America to Los Angeles, then onward to various destinations in the U.S. and Canada, Wedding has been described by FBI Director Kash Patel as a contemporary version of infamous drug lords Pablo Escobar and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The FBI believes Wedding is currently hiding in Mexico, under the safeguard of the Sinaloa cartel, once headed by Guzman.
The recent release of two photos showcases different appearances of Wedding – one displaying a balding head in an older snapshot and a fuller head of hair earlier this year. Notably, the image captured in bed appears to be the first photograph released by authorities that was either taken by Wedding himself or by someone very close to him. Previously, the FBI shared two photos taken in 2024 that seemed to have been captured from a distance without Wedding’s awareness.
Speculations suggest Wedding may have altered his appearance, including potentially changing hair color and undergoing plastic surgery to evade capture, as emphasized by Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s L.A. field office.
Standing at six feet, three inches tall and weighing between 230 and 250 pounds, Wedding has adopted various aliases, including James Conrad King, Jesse King, and a range of pseudonyms like Public Enemy, Giant, Grande, Mexi, and “El Jefe” (the boss).
In a public video released by the U.S. embassy in Mexico, citizens are urged to provide any tips regarding Wedding’s whereabouts, emphasizing the significance of their assistance in locating and apprehending him.
Wedding faces allegations of orchestrating numerous murders worldwide, including the unintended shooting deaths of an innocent Indian couple in Caledon, Ontario, mistakenly targeted in November 2023 over a stolen cocaine shipment.
In a recent development, Wedding and several associates have been charged in connection with the January killing of Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, a Montreal-born drug trafficker turned FBI informant, in Medellin, Colombia. Court documents reveal that Wedding viewed Acebedo-Garcia as a traitor and placed a $5 million USD bounty on him. Additionally, a prominent Toronto lawyer linked to Wedding and a crime blogger have been accused of aiding in planning the assassination.
As part of the investigation, the FBI confiscated an ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster in Miami last month, estimated to be valued at $13 million USD. Reports suggest this vehicle, believed to be one of only six produced, was purchased by a Toronto jeweler accused of being one of Wedding’s main money launderers.