Ryan Wedding Denies Drug Charges in Court
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic athlete, appeared in a California courtroom on Monday, smiling as he was brought in wearing shackles. He rejected allegations that he led a drug operation reminiscent of infamous trafficker El Chapo, while the judge referred to the case as one involving “violent crime.”
Wedding, sporting a full beard and long, greasy hair, dressed in a beige prison uniform with a bright orange T-shirt, was escorted by three U.S. marshals into the federal court in Santa Ana. While seated next to his attorney Chris Colombo, he seemed briefly lighthearted, even laughing and chatting before the hearing got underway.
However, his demeanor shifted when U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Early announced that Wedding would be held without bail due to the serious nature of the charges against him.
In the courtroom, Wedding spoke little. He confirmed his identity and acknowledged having read the two federal indictments issued against him. When asked about his plea regarding the 17 felony charges, he simply stated, “Not guilty.”
At 44, Wedding has a complicated past. He represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and evaded capture for over ten years. Last March, he made the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, which included a staggering $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
His capture on January 22 in Mexico was deemed a significant victory for federal authorities, who claim that Wedding was one of the “biggest drug traffickers of our time.” FBI Director Kash Patel compared him to the notorious Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Connected to his case, law enforcement has arrested 36 other individuals linked to the “Wedding Co.” drug empire, which allegedly utilized Los Angeles as a crucial hub for transporting large quantities of cocaine throughout California and into Canada.
This isn’t his first brush with the law. Wedding was captured in San Diego back in June 2008, convicted in 2009, and released from prison in 2011.
Looking ahead, the next court date in his current charges has been set for a status conference on February 11, with a jury trial expected to commence on March 24.
