January 27, 2026 • 8 mins
A month ago we talked about the Olympic snowboarder turned international drug lord, Ryan Wedding. After a decade in hiding he turned himself in last Friday. But why? More on his life running a Mexican cartel, as well as what motivated his surrender.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . On Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Maybe you remember this. About a month ago, I did
a backstory episode about a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada
who became an international drug lord, an associate of the
Sinaloa Cartel, the most powerful and most vicious cartel in Mexico.
He can check out that episode, which posted on December fifth.
But ironically, after ten years in hiding, Ryan Wedding turned
(00:23):
himself into the FBI in Mexico City last Thursday night.
I'm Patty Steele. Why did Wedding hand himself over and
what kind of a deal did he cut? That update
is next on the Backstory. We're back with the backstory.
As you may remember from the December fifth episode of
(00:44):
the Backstory, Ryan James Wedding was born in thunder Bay, Ontario,
in nineteen eighty one. His family was obsessed with snow teaching, skiing,
skiing competitively, even owning a ski resort. Ryan had a
solid future in what was then the new Olympics sport
competitive snowboarding. He makes the Canadian national team at the
(01:06):
age of fifteen, and then he makes the start list
for the two thousand and two Winter Olympics in Salt
Lake City, where he's entered into the men's parallel Giant slalom,
but he doesn't metal. He finishes twenty fourth. He wanted more,
and rather than push himself up the mountain to compete
on a higher level, he drops out of the sport.
(01:27):
While going to college, he gets a job as a
bouncer and starts hanging with petty criminals and drug dealers.
Ah He's found a new career in dealing weed. It's
both a moneymaker and a challenge that offers the same
dangerous thrill as racing down a mountain at eighty five
miles an hour. But at the age of twenty seven,
(01:47):
he starts dealing cocaine as well. Unfortunately for him, he
makes a deal with a supplier who turns out to
be an undercover federal agent. He's found guilty of conspiracy
to distribute cocaine, and he apologizes to the court for
what he called stupid and irresponsible decisions. He said, I
knew what was wrong, and I did it anyway. In
(02:09):
the past twenty four months I've spent in custody, I've
had an opportunity to see firsthand what drugs do to people,
and honestly, I'm ashamed that I became a part of
the problem for years. I guess I lost my way.
So after that stint in jail, he got out in
December of twenty eleven. The remorse didn't last very long,
(02:29):
because he immediately started up another criminal drug trafficking business
and began working with members of Mexican drug cartels to
move huge amounts of illegal drugs. The FBI estimates his
drug ring eventually brought in sixty tons of cocaine a year,
using semi tractor trailers to move the drugs between Columbia, Mexico,
(02:52):
Southern California, and Canada. And he was considered an expert
in cryptocurrency, which made money handling more efficient and impossible
to trace, and that was one of his many strengths.
During his years in Mexico, Ryan lived the life. He's
apparently still married to his estranged wife. Their difference of
(03:12):
opinion on that Mirian Andrea Castillo Moreno, a gorgeous thirty
four year old Iranian Canadian who describes herself as an entrepreneur.
They married in twenty eleven, and authority say she was
the financial backbone of weddings drug operations. They believe she
helped her husband move large amounts of money through his network,
(03:34):
and she coordinated behind the scenes. She was his money
launderer and helped arrange his relationships, and the FBI says
she quote helped him conduct acts of violence. In addition,
he has a twenty three year old Colombian girlfriend, Daniela
Alejandra Acuna Masayus. She also managed large sums of money
(03:55):
for Ryan, knowing it was from illegal activities, and she
helped him get info about rivals. Last November, the FBI
sees Ryan's rare two thousand and two Mercedes clkgtr valued
at thirteen million dollars for one car. In December, Mexican
authorities seized forty million dollars in racing motorcycles owned by Ryan,
(04:20):
along with luxury paintings, other artwork, drugs, and, funny enough,
two Olympic gold medals, which of course he'd never won. Hmm,
that says something about his motivation. No. Investigators worked for
over a year to arrest Wedding. Last year, they put
a fifteen million dollar bounty on his head. The FBI
(04:41):
said Ryan Wedding tormented several people and several families that
will never be the same, But today they get the
justice that they sought. FBI direct Eric Kashptel said on Friday,
just to tell you how bad of a guy Ryan
Wedding is. He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the
largest narco trafficker in modern times. He is a modern
(05:03):
day El Chapo, a modern day Pablo Escobar, and he
thought he could evade justice. In November, Wedding was accused
of placing a multimillion dollar bounty on a federal witness
who was involved in a narcotics case against him. He
had another person killed over a drug debt, and according
to the FBI, he also ordered the killings of two
(05:24):
members of a Canadian family in a twenty twenty three
retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, but in a case
of mistaken identity, that people who were murdered were simply
an elderly couple from India who were visiting their son
in Ontario. On top of that, US authorities say multiple
former associates of Wedding have turned up dead and that
(05:45):
they believe he's linked to dozens of murders. Wedding is
now facing a slew of felony charges, including witness tampering
and intimidation of course, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Yesterday,
his arraignment was moved from Los Angeles Federal Court to
Orange County Federal Court. Ryan was led into court and handcuffs,
(06:06):
wearing a tan jumpsuit. He was all smiles while talking
to his lawyer. In kind of a chilling moment, he
looked at the row of onlookers in the gallery and
stared at each one eye to eye. In court, he
entered two not guilty pleas. His next court appearance was
set for March twenty fourth. Right after the arraignment, his
(06:27):
defense attorney, Anthony Colombo, spoke to the press saying that
Ryan is in good spirits despite reports. He said Ryan
was apprehended by the FBI and did not surrender, and
he said there were no negotiations for a deal. But
could that be a cover up for fear that the
cartel would find a way to get to wedding to
stop him from talking. It's known there is terrific infighting
(06:50):
within the cartel itself, and Ryan might have chosen the
wrong side. With no inside protection, he'd need to find
a way to survive and talking to the Feds about
what he knows may be his only lifeline. It's likely
there were talks with the FBI since a well known
Mexican security expert told reporters that negotiations for Ryan's surrender
(07:11):
had been ramping up last week, which is why FBI
Director Kash Ptel found himself in Mexico City during the arrest.
Ryan's lawyer also said after the arraignment, the indictments are
not evidence, They're just an accusation, and then he referenced
Ryan's past as an Olympic athlete, saying he is mentally tough,
which is something an Olympic athlete would need. Ryan Wedding
(07:35):
could face life in prison unless his attorney, mister Colombo
has some tricks up his sleeve. It's going to be
a fascinating trial to watch. I really want to thank
Andy King for his help and encouragement with his update.
Thanks Andy. Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele.
Please leave a review and follow or subscribe for free
to get new episodes delivered automatically, and once again, feel
(07:59):
free to dm me if you have a story you'd
like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and
on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories
a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group,
and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our
(08:19):
writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Feel free to reach out to me with comments and
even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and
on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the
Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't
know you needed to know.
Maybe you remember this. About a month ago, I did
a backstory episode about a former Olympic snowboarder from Canada
who became an international drug lord, an associate of the
Sinaloa Cartel, the most powerful and most vicious cartel in Mexico.
He can check out that episode, which posted on December fifth.
But ironically, after ten years in hiding, Ryan Wedding turned
(00:23):
himself into the FBI in Mexico City last Thursday night.
I'm Patty Steele. Why did Wedding hand himself over and
what kind of a deal did he cut? That update
is next on the Backstory. We're back with the backstory.
As you may remember from the December fifth episode of
(00:44):
the Backstory, Ryan James Wedding was born in thunder Bay, Ontario,
in nineteen eighty one. His family was obsessed with snow teaching, skiing,
skiing competitively, even owning a ski resort. Ryan had a
solid future in what was then the new Olympics sport
competitive snowboarding. He makes the Canadian national team at the
(01:06):
age of fifteen, and then he makes the start list
for the two thousand and two Winter Olympics in Salt
Lake City, where he's entered into the men's parallel Giant slalom,
but he doesn't metal. He finishes twenty fourth. He wanted more,
and rather than push himself up the mountain to compete
on a higher level, he drops out of the sport.
(01:27):
While going to college, he gets a job as a
bouncer and starts hanging with petty criminals and drug dealers.
Ah He's found a new career in dealing weed. It's
both a moneymaker and a challenge that offers the same
dangerous thrill as racing down a mountain at eighty five
miles an hour. But at the age of twenty seven,
(01:47):
he starts dealing cocaine as well. Unfortunately for him, he
makes a deal with a supplier who turns out to
be an undercover federal agent. He's found guilty of conspiracy
to distribute cocaine, and he apologizes to the court for
what he called stupid and irresponsible decisions. He said, I
knew what was wrong, and I did it anyway. In
(02:09):
the past twenty four months I've spent in custody, I've
had an opportunity to see firsthand what drugs do to people,
and honestly, I'm ashamed that I became a part of
the problem for years. I guess I lost my way.
So after that stint in jail, he got out in
December of twenty eleven. The remorse didn't last very long,
(02:29):
because he immediately started up another criminal drug trafficking business
and began working with members of Mexican drug cartels to
move huge amounts of illegal drugs. The FBI estimates his
drug ring eventually brought in sixty tons of cocaine a year,
using semi tractor trailers to move the drugs between Columbia, Mexico,
(02:52):
Southern California, and Canada. And he was considered an expert
in cryptocurrency, which made money handling more efficient and impossible
to trace, and that was one of his many strengths.
During his years in Mexico, Ryan lived the life. He's
apparently still married to his estranged wife. Their difference of
(03:12):
opinion on that Mirian Andrea Castillo Moreno, a gorgeous thirty
four year old Iranian Canadian who describes herself as an entrepreneur.
They married in twenty eleven, and authority say she was
the financial backbone of weddings drug operations. They believe she
helped her husband move large amounts of money through his network,
(03:34):
and she coordinated behind the scenes. She was his money
launderer and helped arrange his relationships, and the FBI says
she quote helped him conduct acts of violence. In addition,
he has a twenty three year old Colombian girlfriend, Daniela
Alejandra Acuna Masayus. She also managed large sums of money
(03:55):
for Ryan, knowing it was from illegal activities, and she
helped him get info about rivals. Last November, the FBI
sees Ryan's rare two thousand and two Mercedes clkgtr valued
at thirteen million dollars for one car. In December, Mexican
authorities seized forty million dollars in racing motorcycles owned by Ryan,
(04:20):
along with luxury paintings, other artwork, drugs, and, funny enough,
two Olympic gold medals, which of course he'd never won. Hmm,
that says something about his motivation. No. Investigators worked for
over a year to arrest Wedding. Last year, they put
a fifteen million dollar bounty on his head. The FBI
(04:41):
said Ryan Wedding tormented several people and several families that
will never be the same, But today they get the
justice that they sought. FBI direct Eric Kashptel said on Friday,
just to tell you how bad of a guy Ryan
Wedding is. He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the
largest narco trafficker in modern times. He is a modern
(05:03):
day El Chapo, a modern day Pablo Escobar, and he
thought he could evade justice. In November, Wedding was accused
of placing a multimillion dollar bounty on a federal witness
who was involved in a narcotics case against him. He
had another person killed over a drug debt, and according
to the FBI, he also ordered the killings of two
(05:24):
members of a Canadian family in a twenty twenty three
retaliation for a stolen drug shipment, but in a case
of mistaken identity, that people who were murdered were simply
an elderly couple from India who were visiting their son
in Ontario. On top of that, US authorities say multiple
former associates of Wedding have turned up dead and that
(05:45):
they believe he's linked to dozens of murders. Wedding is
now facing a slew of felony charges, including witness tampering
and intimidation of course, murder, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Yesterday,
his arraignment was moved from Los Angeles Federal Court to
Orange County Federal Court. Ryan was led into court and handcuffs,
(06:06):
wearing a tan jumpsuit. He was all smiles while talking
to his lawyer. In kind of a chilling moment, he
looked at the row of onlookers in the gallery and
stared at each one eye to eye. In court, he
entered two not guilty pleas. His next court appearance was
set for March twenty fourth. Right after the arraignment, his
(06:27):
defense attorney, Anthony Colombo, spoke to the press saying that
Ryan is in good spirits despite reports. He said Ryan
was apprehended by the FBI and did not surrender, and
he said there were no negotiations for a deal. But
could that be a cover up for fear that the
cartel would find a way to get to wedding to
stop him from talking. It's known there is terrific infighting
(06:50):
within the cartel itself, and Ryan might have chosen the
wrong side. With no inside protection, he'd need to find
a way to survive and talking to the Feds about
what he knows may be his only lifeline. It's likely
there were talks with the FBI since a well known
Mexican security expert told reporters that negotiations for Ryan's surrender
(07:11):
had been ramping up last week, which is why FBI
Director Kash Ptel found himself in Mexico City during the arrest.
Ryan's lawyer also said after the arraignment, the indictments are
not evidence, They're just an accusation, and then he referenced
Ryan's past as an Olympic athlete, saying he is mentally tough,
which is something an Olympic athlete would need. Ryan Wedding
(07:35):
could face life in prison unless his attorney, mister Colombo
has some tricks up his sleeve. It's going to be
a fascinating trial to watch. I really want to thank
Andy King for his help and encouragement with his update.
Thanks Andy. Hope you're enjoying the backstory with Patty Steele.
Please leave a review and follow or subscribe for free
to get new episodes delivered automatically, and once again, feel
(07:59):
free to dm me if you have a story you'd
like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and
on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories
a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group,
and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our
(08:19):
writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.
Feel free to reach out to me with comments and
even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and
on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the
Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't
know you needed to know.
Host
Patty Steele
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