Ontario native and alleged cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding played no role in the Mexican operation that resulted in the death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, according to his lawyer. Speculation arose online due to the timing: Mexican forces killed the elusive drug lord exactly one month after authorities took Wedding into custody in Mexico and transferred him to the United States.
Lawyer Firmly Rejects Any Link
“There is zero connection between Mr. Wedding and the action,” stated Anthony Colombo, Wedding’s California-based attorney, in a recent email. Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder from Thunder Bay, Ontario, faces U.S. charges for leading a violent drug-smuggling network that trafficked 60 tonnes of cocaine annually across North America. Arrested in Mexico in January, he was quickly flown to California, where he entered a not guilty plea to murder and drug trafficking counts.
Details of the Mexican Operation
Mexican officials tracked Oseguera Cervantes using a tip from an associate of one of his romantic partners, bolstered by U.S. intelligence support. Both Wedding and Oseguera ranked as high-value targets, with U.S. rewards of $15 million each for information leading to their capture. Authorities describe Wedding as a major logistics operator rather than a cartel boss, running a complex smuggling network spanning thousands of kilometers. For years, the FBI noted his protection under the Sinaloa cartel, co-founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, with occasional overlaps to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) led by Oseguera.
Key Associates and Investigations
Wedding’s second-in-command, Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested by Mexican forces in October 2024. Mexico’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch, revealed Clark managed logistics for both Sinaloa and CJNG operations. Clark later cooperated with the FBI in their broad investigation into Wedding’s network.
U.S. authorities label the 44-year-old Wedding as Canada’s dominant cocaine importer. His distribution ring may connect to a massive Toronto seizure under Project Castillo, where police recovered 835 kilograms of cocaine valued at $83 million on the street—bearing hallmarks of CJNG involvement and intended for nationwide distribution.
Potential Ripple Effects in Canada
Toronto-based crime analyst Luis Nájera, originally from Mexico, warns that such large busts often trigger unreported CJNG reprisal killings. “When this kind of seizure happens, there’s people who have to pay for that,” he explained. “And usually payment is basically, your life.”
Police in major Canadian cities anticipate a cocaine price surge following Oseguera’s elimination. In Toronto, kilogram prices currently range from $21,000 to $26,000, but investigators expect an uptick due to Mexican disruptions, according to police spokesperson Ashley Visser.
Montreal police noted a brief spike to $33,000 per kilogram after Wedding’s arrest, now stabilized at $21,000. Spokesperson Samantha Velandia added that price swings affect product quality: “Fluctuations in the price of a kilo influence the quality of the product, which tends to be purer when the price is low” and adulterated when prices climb. User-level prices remain steady, but street product risks grow.
Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree highlighted the benefits: “Any type of reduction in the capacity of transnational organized crime networks to be able to do their trade is important,” though he cautioned such impacts can be temporary.
