U.S. officials informed the RCMP in advance about the imminent arrest of Ryan Wedding before he was taken into custody in Mexico last week, as stated by Commissioner Mike Duheme in an interview with CBC News. This new information suggests that authorities were aware of Wedding’s location prior to his voluntary surrender on January 22, following a coordinated operation involving Mexican security forces and the FBI’s elite unit.
Duheme revealed that he received instructions to be present in Ontario, Calif., where Wedding was flown on a U.S. Justice Department aircraft on January 23. The RCMP had been pursuing Wedding since 2015 when he faced charges in Montreal related to a large-scale cocaine conspiracy. Subsequently, Wedding was indicted in the U.S. a decade later on charges of murder and drug trafficking, leading to his inclusion on the FBI’s top 10 most-wanted list in March.
Accused of running a violent cocaine-smuggling operation associated with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Wedding has denied the 17 federal charges against him in California. Described by Duheme as one of the most significant criminals encountered in his 35-year Mountie career, Wedding’s transport to California was facilitated by a U.S. government-owned Boeing jet that had traveled from Virginia to Mexico ahead of his apprehension.
FBI Director Kash Patel, coincidentally in Mexico for prearranged meetings with Mexican officials, returned to the U.S. on the same flight as Wedding and another fugitive, Alejandro Castillo. During their arrival in California, both men were presented in handcuffs by Patel and other officials, though specific details of the operation were not disclosed at the time.
Following Wedding’s arrest, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum indirectly acknowledged the FBI’s involvement, hinting at the collaboration during the capture. The operation, reportedly involving the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), required intense negotiations before Wedding was apprehended.
Despite Sheinbaum emphasizing Mexican authorities’ lead role in Wedding’s arrest, tensions emerged regarding foreign involvement in Mexican operations. The political sensitivity heightened following recent events, including Maduro’s capture and threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump against Mexican drug cartels.
The circumstances surrounding Wedding’s arrest have stirred controversy in Mexico, with strict limitations on foreign agents’ actions. Sheinbaum’s misstep in presenting a manipulated image of Wedding further fueled the debate, with subsequent blame placed on social media for failing to label the image accurately.
In the aftermath of Wedding’s legal proceedings in California, his lawyer Anthony Colombo refuted claims of Wedding’s voluntary surrender, stating that he was apprehended. Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli also questioned the accuracy of Mexican officials’ accounts, praising the American law enforcement team for successfully executing the operation.
For more information on this topic, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle at thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.
