Earlier in October, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder James Wedding and 15 others faced criminal charges for allegedly running an international drug trafficking operation which shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada.

Specifically, the group allegedly trafficked 1,800 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of US$25 million, over a period spanning several months and used violence, including murder, to achieve its goals. The drug was trafficked from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, and into Canada and other parts of the United States using a network of drivers, distributors, and stash houses.

Wedding, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics when he was living in Coquitlam, B.C., was recently residing in Mexico, is still on the run and is the lead suspect. In addition, Andrew Clark, a Canadian citizen living in Mexico, was arrested earlier in October, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

Canadian police collaborated with U.S. officials on the investigation, and according to released statements, Wedding and Clark allegedly directed the murders of two family members in Caledon, Ontario, in November 2023, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California.

The two people murdered, Jagtar and Harbhajan Sidhu were visiting from India to see their daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, who was seriously injured in the shooting.

“This was a case of mistaken identity,” Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said in an interview with CBC News. “This devastating incident claimed two lives and left a young woman with life-altering injuries.” According to Kearns, the investigation into the double homicide is continuing, with police still searching for suspects.

Moreover, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Wedding and Clark allegedly ordered the murder of another victim in Ontario in May 2024 over a drug debt. They have also been charged with multiple felonies, including murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise. In addition, Clark and Canadian citizen Malik Damion Cunningham are also charged in connection with another homicide investigation in Ontario from April 2024.

According to U.S. District Attorney Martin Estrada, who spoke at a news conference in October, investigators believe Wedding resumed drug trafficking after his release from prison for his previous 2010 conviction for attempting to buy cocaine from a U.S. government agent, when he was sentenced to four years in prison.

“Instead of using the privileges that come with being an Olympic athlete to do good for people, he did the opposite,” Estrada alleged. “He chose to become a major drug trafficker and he chose to become a killer.”

The FBI is currently offering a $50,000 reward for his arrest and 14 suspects remain in police custody of the 16 total suspects named in the indictment.