Former Olympic snowboarder arrested in sprawling cocaine-trafficking syndicate

A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding, 44, was arrested on charges that he runs a transnational drug trafficking organization responsible for importing about 60 metric tons of cocaine per year into Los Angeles from Mexico; he was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list with a $15 million reward and faces additional charges tied to the murder of a federal witness, plus a prior conspiracy conviction from 2009; authorities say his operation began after his Olympics and last month Mexican authorities seized assets linked to him, with prosecutors stating he was hiding in Mexico under protection of the Sinaloa cartel.