A hitman for the notorious Sinaloa cartel has claimed the US is ‘inflating’ Ryan Wedding’s image as an alleged cocaine kingpin to create major news when he is finally arrested.
The unnamed cartel operative, who sat down for an interview with CBC News in a northwestern Mexico safehouse, says he has only recently heard of Wedding’s name despite the infamous criminal organization dealing with Canadian narcotics customers for over two decades.
‘His name has gone viral in these last few months, they say he’s the new Chapo,’ he said, referring to the nickname of Joaquin Guzman Loera, the former drug lord who once led the Sinaloa cartel.
‘They are inflating the news, they are inflating this person to put all the attention on him. I believe they probably know where he is and they’re just letting this go and go and then they’ll make it like it’s huge news.’
Wedding, a former snowboarder who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics, is accused of leading a billion-dollar drug-smuggling operation and orchestrating several murders.
He has been wanted by the FBI since October 2024 and, in March, was added to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. There is a $15million reward for his arrest.
A hitman for the Sinaloa cartel has claimed the US is ‘inflating’ Ryan Wedding’s image
The ex-Olympic snowboarder, who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is accused of leading a billion-dollar drug-smuggling operation and orchestrating several murders
The 44-year-old remains at large despite being hit with new charges of witness tampering and intimidation, murder, money laundering and drug trafficking last month.
According to CBC, law enforcement believes the unnamed Sinaloa operative is one of many cartel members protecting Wedding, who allegedly runs an organization that has moved many tonnes of cocaine from Mexico into the US and Canada.
But he added: ‘I don’t think the Sinaloa cartel could be protecting him right now because the cartel is going through circumstances that could lead to its collapse.’
The operative told CBC that he provides ‘security’ for his faction before admitting it makes him ‘more or less’ a hitman for the cartel.
In a recent press conference, US Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that Wedding heads an organization that has moved 60 tonnes of cocaine from Mexico into Los Angeles in the space of a single year.
‘Personally, I think it’s too large of a job for a Canadian,’ the anonymous hitman argued.
Earlier this month, the FBI released a new photo of Wedding in its latest bid to track down the Olympian-turned-fugitive drug lord.
In what appears to be a selfie, he can be seen lounging shirtless on a bed with a large tattoo of a lion on the left side of his chest.
Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (pictured)
The FBI claims there is ‘some evidence’ he has undergone surgery to change his appearance
FBI boss Kash Patel (center) and US attorney general Pam Bondi (right) announced new charged against Wedding last month
The picture is significant because Wedding’s appearance seems to change frequently. Other highly circulated pictures show him with long hair and a beard, and short hair with a mustache or no facial hair.
In August, the FBI said there is ‘some evidence’ he had recently undergone cosmetic surgery to alter his appearance and further evade detection.
Weeks before the new photo was released, the FBI’s manhunt for Wedding took another twist when one of his former accomplices was arrested.
Canadian police detained Rasheed Pascua Hossain, a 32-year-old man from Vancouver who also went by the alias ‘JP Morgan’. He faces US charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to export cocaine; and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
According to the criminal indictment, Hossain ‘managed and laundered the Wedding Criminal Enterprise’s drug proceeds.’ An arrest warrant was issued for Hossain last month and now he has been captured.
