Alleged accomplice of Canadian snowboarder-turned-drug kingpin Ryan Wedding arrested in Canada
The FBI recently apprehended Rasheed Pascua Hossain, also known as “JP Morgan,” for his alleged involvement in money laundering for a drug-trafficking network led by former Olympian Ryan Wedding. Hossain was captured by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
According to the FBI, Hossain, 32, now faces charges in the US related to cocaine trafficking and money laundering. He was accused of managing and laundering the drug proceeds from the extensive drug trafficking enterprise operated by Wedding, as outlined in a US federal grand jury indictment from October.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi disclosed that Wedding, a former Canadian snowboarder who competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics, had ordered a hit on a federal witness by sharing photos of him online. The witness was subsequently killed in a restaurant in Medellin, Colombia. Bondi described Wedding as the leader of a highly prolific and violent drug-trafficking organization.
Wedding allegedly smuggled 60 metric tons of cocaine into the US annually through semi trucks crossing into Southern California from Mexico. Following a series of arrests in an investigation dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom,” ten defendants have been apprehended, with seven Canadians, one Colombian, and a resident of Orlando among them.
Despite the arrests, Wedding remains at large and is believed to be residing in Mexico, collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel. The State Department has increased the reward for his capture to $15 million. Authorities are also searching for Mexican national Bianca Canastillo-Madrid and Tommy Demorizi, a Montreal resident suspected of hiding in the Dominican Republic.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli emphasized the resolve to bring the wrongdoers in this criminal organization to justice. He warned Wedding that if convicted, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. The recent arrests serve as a strong message to drug lords like Wedding that their criminal activities will not go unpunished.
