Ryan Wedding is now on American soil after a decade-long manhunt.
Ryan Wedding arrived in California in handcuffs on Friday after his arrest.
The Canadian, a former Olympic snowboarder, is accused of running one of the world’s most violent drug trafficking organizations.
FBI director Kash Patel said he was apprehended in Mexico on Thursday night. According to the Bureau, the 44-year-old was hiding in the country for over 10 years.
Patel said Wedding was eluding capture all while “running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation.”
The FBI also released new photos of Wedding in December and suggested he may have undergone plastic surgery.
Ryan Wedding Described As The Biggest Drug Trafficker Of Modern Times
The former Olympian was allegedly part of the Sinaloa Cartel. He is said to have shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to the U.S and Canada.
Moreover, Patel described him as the biggest trafficker in modern times, likening him to Pablo Escobar and Joaquin Guzman A.K.A. “El Chapo.”
“He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco-trafficker in modern times. He is a modern-day El Chapo, he is a modern-day Pablo Escobar, and he thought he could evade justice,” The FBI director said.
Agents landed in Ontario, California with a handcuffed Wedding on Friday. You can see them getting off an aircraft in the video below:
Ryan Wedding became a feature on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitive list in March. The Bureau offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding will face justice on American soil, thanking Patel and the FBI for their hard work.
He will make an initial appearance in court on Monday.
