LOS ANGELES — A former Olympic snowboarder for Canada has been charged with operating a drug trafficking ring that shipped huge quantities of cocaine throughout the Americas and killed a number of folks, authorities mentioned Thursday.
The FBI is providing a $50,000 reward for data resulting in the arrest and extradition of Ryan James Marriage ceremony, a Canadian citizen who was dwelling in Mexico and is taken into account a fugitive.
The 43-year-old is charged in the USA with operating a felony enterprise, homicide, conspiring to distribute cocaine and different crimes, U.S. prosecutors mentioned.
U.S. authorities allege the group killed two members of a household in Canada in retaliation for a stolen drug cargo in what officers there mentioned was a case of mistaken identification, and no less than one different particular person.
Authorities additional mentioned Marriage ceremony’s group moved massive shipments of cocaine from Colombia via Mexico and California to Canada and different places in the USA utilizing long-haul semi-trucks.
Marriage ceremony, a former Olympic snowboarder who additionally faces years-old expenses in Canada, is one in all 16 folks charged in reference to a hoop that moved 60 tons of cocaine a yr, and 4 of them stay fugitives, mentioned Martin Estrada, U.S. Legal professional in Los Angeles.
“He selected to turn into a significant drug trafficker and he selected to turn into a killer,” Estrada informed reporters.
Krysti Hawkins, FBI particular agent in cost in Los Angeles, mentioned a dozen folks have been arrested in Florida, Michigan, Canada, Colombia and Mexico in reference to the case.
Authorities mentioned they seized cocaine, weapons, ammunition, money and greater than $3 million in cryptocurrency in reference to their investigation.
Marriage ceremony competed for Canada within the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake Metropolis, authorities mentioned.
Marriage ceremony faces separate drug trafficking expenses in Canada that date again to 2015, mentioned Chris Leather-based, chief superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“These expenses are very a lot unresolved,” Leather-based mentioned.
Marriage ceremony beforehand was convicted within the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute to cocaine and he was sentenced to jail in 2010, federal data present.
Estrada mentioned U.S. authorities imagine that after Marriage ceremony’s launch, he resumed drug trafficking and has been protected by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
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