Ryan Wedding, ex-Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, pleads not guilty in federal court
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Ryan James Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance in Orange County Monday to running a billion-dollar drug trafficking ring and orchestrating multiple killings.
Wedding was brought in by U.S. Marshals into the courtroom for a quick appearance in front of a federal judge in Santa Ana.
He sat in the ornate federal courtroom in a tan uniform over an orange shirt. He had a maple leaf tattoo on his right upper arm, a beard and disheveled hair in the back.
He looked down the row of onlookers in the gallery seeming to look at each one staring eye-to-eye. As he waited for the judge to come in, Wedding joked with his lawyer and looked around the room.
Wedding answered mainly "Yes" to the judge as he was asked questions about understanding the counts against him. He waived a reading of the two indictments against him. Asked if his name is Ryan Wedding he said, "Yes it is."
Wedding's attorney did not ask for bail but said he may ask later. The judge ruled based on the information before him that no bail is warranted. Wedding is to remain detained.
He answered "Not Guilty" to the two indictments against him. Attorneys for the government said each trial should take about 3 to 4 weeks on each indictment.
Trial is set to start March 24 in downtown Los Angeles. There is a status conference in the case scheduled for Feb. 11.
Wedding's defense attorney Anthony Colombo told reporters after Wedding pleaded not guilty that his client is in good spirits.
"He's a former Olympic athlete which obviously takes a lot of mental toughness to participate in those types of games and at a high level," Colombo said.
According to the indictment, Wedding was the kingpin of a drug network - using boats and planes provided by cartels to move more than 60 tons of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and then onto trucks to a hub located in the Inland Empire, in cities including San Bernardino, Corona, Perris and Moreno Valley.
FBI Director Kash Patel described Wedding "as a modern-day 'El Chapo'" and "modern-day Pablo Escobar."
ABC News reported last week that Wedding turned himself in last Thursday in Mexico City after weeks of high-stakes negotiations.
Outside the courthouse, Colombo pushed back on reports that Wedding surrendered.
"He didn't surrender. He was apprehended, he was arrested, so any spin the government in Mexico is putting on this that he surrendered is inaccurate," Colombo said.
"The Trump administration, with the apprehension of (ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro) has made clear that we're in a bold new era with regard to international relations, so one can understand why that statement might have been put out, because if the U.S. government is unilaterally going into a sovereign country and apprehending somebody, you can understand the concern that sovereign entity might have," Colombo said.
The arraignment was set to take place in downtown Los Angeles but Wedding's attorney said it was moved to Orange County due to concerns of protests possibly occurring in front of the federal courthouse in L.A.
The FBI says Wedding and others are charged for their roles in a transnational organized crime network that shipped large amounts of cocaine across the southern border, through Southern California and then up to Canada.
Wedding was previously indicted in Los Angeles federal court on multiple federal charges, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and assorted drug crimes.
A superseding indictment was filed in November, alleging that Wedding ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug trafficking case, according to the Justice Department.
Wedding's arrest comes after a monthslong search and investigation. Last month, Mexican authorities seized a large number motorcycles believed to be owned by Wedding. The motorcycles have an estimated value of approximately $40 million.
In November, the FBI seized a rare, $13 million 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster as part of their ongoing manhunt.
The U.S. Department of State was offering a $15 million reward for information regarding Wedding, who is alleged to be a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Patel.
Prior to starting his alleged criminal enterprise, Wedding, whose alleged aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant" and "Public Enemy," was a professional snowboarder and competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
