Ryan Wedding Arrested: Olympic Athlete to FBI Most Wanted

Intermediate | January 29, 2026

✨ Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.

Ryan Wedding Arrested After Years on the Run

This week, U.S. authorities announced that Ryan Wedding—a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who later became one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives—has been captured. The headline is simple but shocking: Ryan Wedding Arrested in Mexico after investigators accused him of leading a large international cocaine trafficking network. (Yahoo News)

From Snowboarding to Serious Charges

According to U.S. prosecutors, Wedding is not just facing drug charges. He’s also accused of ordering violence connected to the trafficking operation, including murder-related charges and witness tampering. In U.S. court in Southern California, he pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts. (Reuters; AP News)

Why the FBI Put Him on the Ten Most Wanted List

The FBI says Wedding was added to the Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025 as part of a major case tied to international cocaine shipments. Later, the U.S. increased the reward to $15 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction—an unusually high amount that signals how seriously the government viewed the case. (FBI – Ten Most Wanted announcement; FBI reward update)

What Officials Say the Network Looked Like

In a Justice Department announcement, prosecutors described Wedding as a key figure in an organization accused of moving large amounts of cocaine through North America—and using intimidation to protect the business. The DOJ said he was charged with overseeing a criminal enterprise and enriching himself through laundered drug proceeds. (U.S. Department of Justice)

The Business Lesson: Reputation Can Flip Fast

Even if you don’t follow sports, this story hits a universal theme: your “personal brand” can change overnight—and sometimes for the worst reasons imaginable. For English learners who work in business, it’s also a vocabulary-rich example of how news reports describe law enforcement actions, court appearances, and allegations.

One more time for today’s key phrase: Ryan Wedding Arrested is a headline you’ll see repeated across major outlets—and it’s worth practicing because it contains a common news pattern: Name + past tense verb.

Vocabulary

Fugitive (noun) – a person who is running away from the law.
Example: Wedding was listed as a fugitive before his arrest.
Alleged (adjective) – said to be true, but not proven.
Example: He is the alleged leader of a trafficking network.
Indictment (noun) – an official legal accusation.
Example: The indictment includes drug trafficking and other charges.
Extradited (verb) – sent back to another country for trial.
Example: He was extradited to the U.S. to face charges.
Plead not guilty (phrase) – to say in court you did not commit the crime.
Example: He pleaded not guilty during his court appearance.
Trafficking (noun) – illegal trading, often involving drugs.
Example: Prosecutors accuse him of cocaine trafficking.
Witness tampering (noun) – trying to influence or threaten a witness.
Example: The case includes a witness tampering allegation.
Reward (noun) – money offered for helpful information.
Example: The FBI offered a $15 million reward.
Charges (noun) – official claims that someone broke the law.
Example: He faces multiple federal charges.
Custody (noun) – being held by police or government authorities.
Example: He appeared in court while in custody.

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Who is Ryan Wedding, and why did this story get so much attention?
What does “alleged” mean, and why do journalists use that word?
Why was the FBI reward amount considered unusually high?
What does it mean to “plead not guilty” in court?
How do you think this case could continue to develop over the next few months?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

Why do you think “celebrity crime” stories spread so quickly online?
Should news outlets focus more on facts, or also on dramatic storytelling? Why?
What words do you often see in crime news headlines in your country?
How does the legal process protect people who are accused but not yet convicted?
What is one important difference between an arrest and a conviction?

Related Idiom / Phrase

“Fall from grace” — when someone loses respect or status after doing something wrong.

Example: For many readers, this story feels like a fall from grace—from Olympic athlete to Ten Most Wanted fugitive.

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This article was inspired by: Yahoo News, Reuters, AP News, and official releases from the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.