Ryan Wedding, in handcuffs, steps off a U.S. Justice Department aircraft in Ontario, California, on January 23 after authorities arrested him in Mexico City. FBI
Fresh details from Canada’s national police force have raised serious questions about claims that fugitive Ryan Wedding willingly turned himself in to authorities. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said U.S. officials alerted the RCMP days before Wedding was taken into custody in Mexico, suggesting investigators already knew where he was.
The information challenges statements from Mexican officials who said Wedding “voluntarily surrendered” on Jan. 22.
Advance notice revealed
Duheme said U.S. authorities warned Canadian police that Wedding’s arrest was about to happen. He explained that he received instructions several days earlier to prepare for Wedding’s arrival in California.
“I would say probably three days before flying out, I was informed just to be on standby, and what was unfolding,” Duheme said.
He later travelled to Ontario, California, where Wedding arrived on Jan. 23 aboard a U.S. Justice Department aircraft.
Longtime fugitive with serious charges
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, had remained on the run for years. Canadian authorities charged him in Montreal in 2015 in connection with a major cocaine import case. U.S. prosecutors later indicted him on murder and drug trafficking charges.
Last year, the FBI added Wedding to its list of 10 most-wanted fugitives. Authorities allege he led a violent cocaine-smuggling network tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. Wedding has pleaded not guilty to all 17 charges filed against him in California.
Duheme described Wedding as “probably one of the biggest criminals” he encountered during his more than 35-year career.
Arrest operation comes into focus
Flight records show the U.S. government aircraft that carried Wedding to California arrived in Mexico from Virginia the day before his arrest. The timing adds weight to claims that officials planned the operation in advance.
FBI Director Kash Patel said he was already in Mexico on a planned trip when authorities took Wedding into custody. Patel later appeared alongside Duheme at a news conference in California as Wedding arrived in handcuffs.
Officials declined to explain how the arrest unfolded.
Mexico pushes back
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum initially said Wedding surrendered at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. She later said Mexican authorities led the arrest and rejected claims of joint operations with U.S. forces.
“We are never going to accept joint operations from the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
The case sparked political debate in Mexico, where laws strictly limit foreign police activity.
Conflicting accounts grow
Wedding’s lawyer, Anthony Colombo, rejected claims of a voluntary surrender.
“Any spin that the government of Mexico is putting on this, that he surrendered, is inaccurate,” Colombo said. “He was apprehended.”
U.S. prosecutor Bill Essayli also suggested the arrest required significant effort, saying American officers were able to apprehend Wedding “despite tremendous roadblocks and challenges.”
As more details emerge, the circumstances surrounding Wedding’s arrest remain under scrutiny on both sides of the border.
