An international drug trafficking operation allegedly led by Ryan Wedding has been dismantled following a multi-agency investigation dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom.” The probe,involving the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,has uncovered evidence of murder-for-hire,witness intimidation,and the use of a compromised legal professional to facilitate a large-scale cocaine smuggling ring stretching from Los Angeles to Canada. Court documents detail how Wedding and his associates allegedly orchestrated the January 31st assassination of a key witness in Medellín, Colombia, and actively worked to silence others cooperating with law enforcement.
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder allegedly orchestrated a global network of hitmen to protect his cocaine trafficking operation and eliminate informants cooperating with law enforcement, according to a joint investigation by U.S. and Canadian authorities. Court documents reveal that a lawyer and a news website were also involved in the effort to track down those providing information to police.
Details of Phase II of the “Giant Slalom” investigation are scheduled to be publicly released in Washington D.C. today by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Mike Duheme.
Court filings in Montreal, reviewed by authorities, outline the investigation, which involved collaboration with officials in Colombia and Mexico. The probe led to the arrest Tuesday of Montreal gang leader Atna Onha, also known as “Tupac,” who the FBI describes as a hitman working for Ryan Wedding’s organization. Onha was arrested in connection with a murder case.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Ryan Wedding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Wedding, a former Montreal resident, is allegedly at the head of a violent drug trafficking organization based in Mexico, responsible for transporting large quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Central America and Mexico, and ultimately into the United States and Canada, according to the investigation. The case underscores the reach of international drug cartels and their willingness to use violence to protect their operations.
Charges were initially filed against Wedding and several associates in a California court in September 2024, based on information provided by a former member of the organization. However, Wedding has remained at large, and investigators have continued to track his activities for the past year.
“U.S. authorities learned that Wedding and his second-in-command were hiring hitmen to assassinate enemies of the organization worldwide,” court documents state.
Murder in Medellín
One such “enemy” was Jonathan Acebedo Garcia, a former Montreal member of Wedding’s organization who had agreed to cooperate with the FBI and testify against him in court. Utilizing contacts in multiple countries, including an associate in Colombia with alleged ties to cartels and law enforcement capable of tracking a cell phone, Wedding allegedly arranged for Garcia’s murder by a motorcycle-riding assassin in Medellín on January 31.
According to the FBI, Wedding celebrated the assassination, believing it would derail the prosecution’s case without the key witness. Montreal gang leader Atna Onha allegedly assisted in organizing the hit.
A Canadian website, The Dirty News, which describes itself as a criminal news outlet, allegedly received money from Wedding to help locate “rats” – individuals cooperating with police. The site reportedly circulated a photograph of one such individual before being taken offline by authorities on Monday.
SCREEN CAPTURE FROM DIRTY NEWS SITE
The Dirty News site was taken down by the FBI on Monday as part of Operation Giant Slalom.
Corrupt Lawyer
According to evidence presented in court, Wedding’s organization relied on a highly motivated and allegedly corrupt lawyer. The lawyer played a critical role in the operation.
Ontario-based lawyer Deepak Paradkar directly reported to Ryan Wedding and was tasked with investigating drivers and circumstances surrounding seizures of their cocaine shipments by authorities. He was also responsible for securing new transport routes and hiring lawyers in Canada and the United States to determine if arrested members of the organization were cooperating with law enforcement.
In October 2024, Paradkar informed Wedding and his lieutenant, who had become a police informant, that eliminating Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia would jeopardize the U.S. case. Wedding subsequently told his lieutenant he wanted Garcia killed.
In December 2024, a presumed associate of Onha, Barosa-Hernandez, was contacted by investigators with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Paradkar, identifying himself as a lawyer, then called Barosa-Hernandez to question him about his meeting with the RCMP officers.
Paradkar’s role also included locating and maintaining the anonymity of drivers, ensuring they would repay the value of seized drugs. On one occasion, after drivers were arrested in Arkansas, Wedding discussed the possibility of “silencing” a truck driver and “killing everyone involved.”
The lawyer was allegedly paid for his services with large cash deposits in Toronto and luxury watches.
“Investigators identify Paradkar as an integral member of the daily operations of Wedding’s drug trafficking organization. He was responsible for introducing new routes that would allow Wedding’s organization to transport cocaine from Los Angeles to Canada,” a U.S. investigator stated in a sworn affidavit filed with the court.
