Ex-Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding's alleged accomplice in deadly drug ring extradited to U.S.

An alleged accomplice of ex-Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, accused of co-leading an international drug trafficking ring and ordering killings alongside the former pro athlete, has arrived to the U.S. after being extradited, prosecutors said Friday.

Andrew Clark, who was living in Mexico when he was arrested, is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday in connection with charges detailed in a 16-count indictment out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Wedding, 43, and Clark, 34, are both Canadian citizens who are facing murder charges in addition to federal counts of drug trafficking, accused of running an operation that trafficked mass quantities of cocaine across North America. 

Clark, whose aliases include "The Dictator," has been described by federal prosecutors as Wedding's right-hand man. The leading role he allegedly played in the drug ring was detailed in a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office Friday.

"The defendant, as described in the superseding indictment, played a key role in running a violent, international drug trafficking organization that was responsible for multiple murders," Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said in the statement. "We are grateful to have him in the United States where he will face justice."

He and Wedding allegedly sourced cocaine manufactured in Colombia before transporting it into Mexico, later bringing the drugs into the U.S. in long-haul trucks, storing it in stash houses in Los Angeles and then trafficking it into Canada, federal authorities said. Over just a six-month span, between March and August of last year, prosecutors said they and their co-conspirators possessed and distributed more than 1,800 kilograms of cocaine — roughly equivalent to nearly 4,000 pounds.

Former U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada described the alleged cocaine-trafficking ring last year as a "ruthless operation" that made billions and led to a number of people being murdered by hired killers.

Together, Clark and Wedding allegedly directed the Nov. 20, 2023 killing of two people in Ontario, Canada and the killing of a third person on May, 18, 2024. They have also been charged with murder in the April 1, 2024 killing of another person in Ontario.

In the November 2023 case, in which they are also accused of attempting to murder another person, prosecutors allege they ordered the murder of a couple visiting Canada from India, believing they had been responsible for a lost cocaine shipment.

"This was a case of mistaken identity," Estrada said upon announcing the indictment last fall. "They were killed in cold blood in front of their daughter, who was also shot 13 times."

Meanwhile, the drug ring trafficked several tons of cocaine at a time, in shipments that netted billions in profits, according to federal prosecutors. In just one seizure, authorities said, investigators found several defendants possessed about 1.8 tons of cocaine with a street value of around $23 to $25 million.

Wedding, the alleged kingpin once called "an Olympic-athlete-turned-drug lord" by former U.S. Attorney Estrada, is now a known fugitive on the FBI's Most Wanted list. The FBI said he is believed to be living in Mexico and is offering a $50,000 reward for his arrest and extradition, describing him as armed and dangerous. 

In 2002, he competed for Canada in the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. Twenty-two years later, U.S. prosecutors in Los Angeles announced a federal warrant had been issued for his arrest. 

At the time, prosecutors said Clark had been arrested on Oct. 8 while Wedding remained on the run. In total, there are 16 defendants in the case and eight have been arraigned so far in locations around the U.S. including LA, Miami and Michigan.

Several of the defendants are scheduled to begin trial on May 6. 

Clark faces federal charges of conspiring to possess, distribute and export cocaine, attempted murder and murder, according to prosecutors.

He would face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison if convicted of just the charge of continuing criminal enterprise. Meanwhile, the additional murder and attempted murder charges each hold a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison while the drug trafficking charges each have mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in prison.