Mexico City, Mexico — Canadian Ryan Wedding who had been wanted by authorities for drug trafficking has been escorted to the U.S. Wedding was taken into custody Thursday after voluntarily surrendering himself at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
On Friday, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported that a Canadian on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list voluntarily surrendered a day earlier at the United States Embassy.
On Friday, Omar García Harfuch met with FBI Director Kash Patel who has since returned to the U.S. with 44 year old Ryan Wedding who they said, had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, was among America’s most wanted for leading a transnational drug trafficking organization responsible for bringing about 60 metric tons of cocaine a year into the city of Los Angeles, mainly through cargo trucks from Mexico.
FBI Director Kash Patel had compared Ryan Wedding to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson also confirmed that Wedding surrendered voluntarily in Mexico due to pressure from authorities in both countries.
In a statement, Johnson noted the efforts that both governments have maintained to eradicate fentanyl trafficking and arrest drug traffickers and criminals such as Wedding.
“Ryan Wedding’s voluntary surrender was a direct result of pressure exerted by law enforcement authorities in Mexico and the United States who worked in close coordination and cooperation,” the statement said.
“Today marks a concrete step against transnational criminal organizations, cartels and narco-terrorists, and testifies to the collaboration between President Trump and President Sheinbaum to hold criminals accountable wherever they operate.”
Wedding had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list since March of 2025 and was named in a long list of others also wanted by American authorities. Johnson said this latest arrest was the result of talks and cooperation between government of Mexico and the government of the United States.
“Wedding’s voluntary surrender was the result of the determined work of multiple authorities from both countries including the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of Mexico, as well as U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice and the FBI.
“This arrest is an example of what can be achieved when we work together as sovereign partners.”
U.S. authorities say Wedding is estimated to have trafficked 60 tons of cocaine a year from Colombia while living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. Wedding has since been returned to the U.S. where he will face charges.
Riviera Maya News serving Quintana Roo Mexico since 2014
Your official online newspaper
