Record Toronto-area drug bust may be linked to fugitive ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding

A recent record-setting $50-million cocaine seizure by police in the Toronto area may be connected to former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged crime boss Ryan Wedding, a CBC News investigation has found.

Peel Regional Police said last week the cocaine bust – the biggest such seizure in the agency’s history – came after investigators discovered a criminal network exploiting commercial trucking routes to move drugs across the U.S. border into Canada.

The smuggling routes outlined by police mirror those that U.S. prosecutors have linked to the murderous drug ring allegedly led by Wedding, one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives. The network is accused of routinely shipping tons of Colombian cocaine from Mexico to U.S. and Canadian destinations.

“The likelihood of what’s happening here in Peel being traced back to an organization like that is very high,” Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told CBC.

He said it’s “very likely” Wedding’s network remains active in the suburban area west of Toronto, a key logistics hub for central Canada. 

Wedding, who competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah, is believed to be living in Mexico under the protection of the notorious Sinaloa cartel. He was among 16 men charged last year in a U.S. federal indictment that sought to dismantle what U.S. authorities called the “Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization.”

According to U.S. prosecutors, Wedding’s network used semi trucks as its primary means of transporting drugs across North America.

Two men arrested last fall in Toronto are accused of orchestrating cocaine shipments to Canada for a flat rate of $220,000 each. Hardeep Ratte and his nephew Gurpreet Singh both remain in custody and face extradition to the U.S.

Wedding’s top lieutenant, fellow Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last year and later transferred to U.S. custody. 

Still, U.S. prosecutors said earlier this year that Wedding, 43, “continues to traffic drugs while in hiding” and warned he still has access to a “network of hitmen.”

The RCMP also recently confirmed to CBC “elements of his network” remain in place in Canada.

Wedding and Clark face murder charges tied to four deaths in Ontario, including an “execution-style” shooting over a drug debt, and the mistaken-identity killings of a couple visiting from India.

Cocaine seized at the border

According to Peel police, Canadian border agents earlier this year intercepted a combined 177 kilograms of cocaine hidden in trailers of commercial trucks at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, and the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia. Both spans link Ontario to Michigan.

Public records from a separate case in U.S. federal court in Michigan show Wedding’s $1-billion US network used the exact same scheme.

Two Ontario men – both indicted as members of Wedding’s drug ring – concealed cocaine in hidden truck compartments last August as they attempted to cross the Blue Water Bridge toward Canada, according to the court files.

As for the recent record-setting drug bust in Peel Region, police said they seized a total of 479 kilograms of bricked cocaine, with an estimated street value of $47.9 million, plus two loaded handguns. Police said the drugs were destined for the Toronto area and other parts of Canada.

Nine men were arrested and charged with a combined 35 charges related to firearm and drug offences, police said.

“This investigation is still ongoing on our U.S. partners’ side, to work back where the networks originate,” Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said.

Peel police said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations are both involved in the case, dubbed Project Pelican. Neither agency responded to requests for comment.

The seizures come as an “unprecedented” 6,000 kilograms of cocaine have poured into Canada since last fall, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

WATCH | From Olympian to fugitive: 

Ryan Wedding’s path from Olympian to most-wanted fugitive

Ryan Wedding once represented Canada as an Olympic snowboarder; now he’s accused of being a drug kingpin and is on the FBI’s most wanted list — with a $10 million US reward being offered for information leading to his arrest. CBC’s Thomas Daigle traces his shocking path from the top of the slopes to the underworld.

‘You’re next,’ U.S. official says of Wedding

A senior U.S. official told CBC the public has been providing a steady flow of tips about Wedding’s whereabouts, since the State Department began offering a $10-million US reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

F. Cartwright Weiland, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, said it appeared as though Wedding’s connections to Mexican officials have helped him to evade capture.

“Any time that we’ve gotten close, he can rely on those people watching out for him, to alert him in advance,” Weiland said in an interview.

“Ryan, we’re getting tips every day. People are calling in,” Weiland said, when asked if he has a message for the Thunder Bay, Ont.-born fugitive.

“You’re next, buddy.”

If you have a news tip related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle by email: thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.