Drug Trafficking and Cartels

Ex‑Olympian Ryan Wedding pleaded not guilty in U.S. federal court in Santa Ana to an indictment accusing him of running a billion‑dollar cocaine‑trafficking operation that allegedly moved as much as 60 tons of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into the U.S. and Canada and of ordering multiple killings in 2023–2025 — allegations FBI Director Kash Patel has compared to a "modern‑day El Chapo" and "Pablo Escobar." Video aired by CBS shows FBI agents escorting Wedding off a plane after his arrest in Mexico and transfer to U.S. custody; Magistrate Judge John D. Early ordered him detained pending trial, set a Feb. 11 hearing and a March 24, 2026 trial date, and Wedding’s attorney disputes Mexican officials’ claim that he surrendered, saying he was arrested while living in Mexico.