WASHINGTON — Competing for Workforce Canada, Ryan Marriage ceremony completed because the Twenty fourth-best parallel large slalom snowboarder on this planet on the 2002 Wintry weather Olympics.
Over twenty years later, he is now a part of every other unique workforce: The FBI’s Ten Maximum Sought after Fugitives.
“Make no mistake about it: Ryan Marriage ceremony is a modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He is a modern day iteration of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” FBI Director Kash Patel stated in November, regarding the infamous drug lords.
Marriage ceremony’s present whereabouts, believed to be someplace in Mexico below the security of the Sinaloa cartel, are actually the focal point of a world manhunt and a $15 million praise for his seize in a case of alleged cocaine trafficking, cash laundering and more than one murders aptly nicknamed “Operation Massive Slalom.”
CNN sifted via courtroom paperwork, FBI bulletins and Olympic historical past to raised perceive the allegations towards Marriage ceremony, 44, and his fall from nationwide hero to the elusive alleged drug kingpin identified via the aliases “El Jefe” and “Massive.”
“The previous Canadian snowboarder unleashed an avalanche of demise and destruction, right here and out of the country,” stated Matthew Allen, particular agent answerable for the Drug Enforcement Company’s Los Angeles Box Department.
Highway to the Olympics
Born in 1981 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Marriage ceremony was once raised in a circle of relatives of skiers. His grandparents owned a close-by ski mountain, and his uncle, Craig Spiess, was once trainer of the Canadian nationwide ladies’s ski crew, in line with Toronto Existence.
He confirmed an inherent ability for skiing and made the Canadian nationwide skiing crew at 15. From 1997 to 2002, Marriage ceremony competed in occasions internationally, together with in Italy, France, Chile, Austria and Japan.
“He had no worry,” Bobby Allison, a former nationwide champion ski racer, advised Rolling Stone in 2009. “Numerous children, they are saying they wish to pass speedy, however they do not truly wish to pass speedy. They dangle one thing again, as a result of there is a little little bit of worry there of falling. Ryan had none of that.”
Marriage ceremony competed on the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake Town, completing a disappointing Twenty fourth within the parallel large slalom skiing match.
He gave up aggressive skiing quickly later on.
Arrested for drug conspiracy
After his sports activities profession ended, he enrolled at Simon Fraser College and moved to Vancouver, in line with Rolling Stone. The mag reported he took a task as a bouncer at a membership and from there entered the drug underworld.
In June 2008, Marriage ceremony was once arrested together with two others and accused of conspiring to own with the intent to distribute cocaine, in line with a prison criticism.
The arrest got here after Marriage ceremony and colleagues traveled from Canada to San Diego, California, to shop for cocaine as a part of a drug trafficking group primarily based in Vancouver, in line with a sworn statement. The operation was once a sting, regardless that, and FBI brokers arrested the trio after the deal was once finished, the affidavit states. Investigators allegedly discovered $100,000 in money of their resort room, the affidavit states.
His two co-defendants pleaded in charge, in line with courtroom data, however Marriage ceremony took the case to trial. He was once discovered in charge in November 2009, and in 2010 was once sentenced to 4 years in jail, in step with courtroom data.
At his sentencing listening to, Marriage ceremony invoked his sports activities background in chatting with the courtroom.
“What I did was once utterly out of personality for me, and this is a non-public challenge of mine to rebuild my recognition,” he stated, in line with Toronto Existence. “As an athlete, I used to be all the time taught that there aren’t any 2nd possibilities, and, neatly, I am right here inquiring for precisely that.”
He was once launched from jail in December 2011, in line with inmate data.
Allegations of drug trafficking and homicide
Prosecutors say Marriage ceremony didn’t keep true to his sentencing pledge.
In October 2024, federal prosecutors launched a superseding indictment charging Marriage ceremony with working a prison undertaking, cocaine trafficking and homicide in an operation stretching around the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Colombia. The indictment says the undertaking started “now not later than in or round 2011,” when Marriage ceremony was once launched from jail.
Marriage ceremony, his fellow Canadian Andrew Clark and others conspired to transport loads of kilograms of cocaine from the U.S. into Canada the usage of long-haul semitrucks, in line with the indictment.
Prosecutors additionally accused Marriage ceremony of ordering the killings of a number of folks. He and Clark allegedly directed the November 2023 murders of 2 contributors of a circle of relatives in Ontario “in retaliation for a stolen drug cargo,” in line with prosecutors. The 2 had been killed, and a 3rd circle of relatives member was once wounded however survived the capturing, government stated.
Additional, Marriage ceremony and Clark allegedly ordered the homicide of someone else in Would possibly 2024 over a drug debt, prosecutors stated.
Prosecutors known Marriage ceremony as a fugitive and indexed off a string of his aliases, together with “James Conrad King,” “El Jefe,” “El Toro,” and “Boss.”
Fifteen different co-defendants had been indicted together with him. Clark was once arrested in Mexico in October 2024 and has pleaded now not in charge to the fees, in line with courtroom data.
FBI’s Maximum Sought after checklist
The stakes had been raised even upper in January 2025 after a federal witness within the case towards Marriage ceremony was once shot to demise in a cafe in Medellín, Colombia. Marriage ceremony positioned a bounty at the guy’s head and enlisted others to search out and kill him, in line with prosecutors.
In March 2025, the FBI added Marriage ceremony to its infamous Ten Maximum Sought after Fugitives checklist and introduced the U.S. State Division was once providing a praise of as much as $10 million for his seize.
The Olympian is amongst a infamous workforce that incorporates folks like Omar Cardenas, accused of fatally capturing a person at a big out of doors buying groceries middle in California, and Bhadreshkumar Patel, accused of fatally beating his spouse in Maryland.
The FBI launched a flyer with pictures of Marriage ceremony and indexed his top at 6-foot-3 and weight of about 240 kilos, with brown hair and blue eyes.
In November, U.S. officers introduced the arrest of 10 extra defendants – together with an legal professional for Marriage ceremony – associated with the killing of the federal witness. The praise for Marriage ceremony’s seize was once raised to $15 million.
“Marriage ceremony positioned a bounty at the sufferer’s head within the inaccurate trust that the sufferer’s demise would outcome within the dismissal of prison fees towards him and his world drug trafficking ring and would additional make certain he was once now not extradited to america,” First Assistant U.S. Lawyer Invoice Essayli for the Central District of California stated. “He was once improper.”
At a information convention, U.S. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi stated Marriage ceremony’s operation has trafficked 60 metric heaps of cocaine in step with yr. He’s the “greatest distributor of cocaine in Canada,” she stated.
“Marriage ceremony went from shredding powder at the slopes on the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine at the streets of U.S. towns and in his local Canada,” stated Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Box Administrative center.
As well as, the Treasury Division sanctioned Marriage ceremony and seized a few of his property, together with an extraordinary 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster valued at $13 million. The car is one in every of simply six of its kind ever made, in line with MotorTrend.
Whilst his precise whereabouts are unknown, officers stated they consider Marriage ceremony is in Mexico below the security of the Sinaloa cartel. He’s described as “armed and threatening.” The FBI requested that any one with details about him will have to touch the FBI or their nearest American embassy or consulate.
An FBI spokesperson stated Wednesday the bureau has won “a excellent quantity of guidelines” for the reason that praise was once greater, regardless that Marriage ceremony stays a fugitive.
If convicted of the ongoing prison undertaking rate, he would face a compulsory minimal penalty of existence in jail.
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