SANTA ANA, Calif. — Ryan James Wedding, former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, pleaded not guilty to two indictments against him in a Southern California courtroom Monday.
Wedding was brought in by U.S. Marshals into the courtroom for a quick appearance in front of a federal judge in Santa Ana.
He sat in the ornate federal courtroom in a tan uniform over an orange shirt. He had a maple leaf tattoo on his right upper arm, a beard and disheveled hair in the back.
He looked down the row of onlookers in the gallery seeming to look at each one staring eye-to-eye. As he waited for the judge to come in, Wedding joked with his lawyer and looked around the room.
Wedding answered mainly “Yes” to the judge as he was asked questions about understanding the counts against him. He waived a reading of the two indictments against him. Asked if his name is Ryan Wedding he said, “Yes it is.”
Wedding’s attorney did not ask for bail but said he may ask later. The judge ruled based on the information before him that no bail is warranted. Wedding is to remain detained.
He answered “Not Guilty” to the two indictments against him. Attorneys for the government said each trial should take about 3 to 4 weeks on each indictment.
Trial is set to start March 24 in downtown LA. There is a status conference in the case scheduled for Feb. 11.
Wedding is accused of running a criminal enterprise that has smuggled six metric tons of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semitrucks from Mexico. He was arrested last week.
FBI Director Kash Patel has described Wedding “as a modern day ‘El Chapo'” and “modern-day Pablo Escobar.”
Ryan James Wedding, an alleged drug kingpin and former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, has been arrested by the FBI.
The FBI says Wedding and others are charged for their roles in a transnational organized crime network that shipped large amounts of cocaine across the southern border, through Southern California and then up to Canada.
Wedding was previously indicted in Los Angeles federal court on multiple federal charges, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and assorted drug crimes.
Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder accused of running a drug trafficking network, is facing additional charges in connection with the killing of a federal witness.
A superseding indictment was filed in November, alleging that Wedding ordered the killing of a witness who was set to testify against him in a federal drug trafficking case, according to the Justice Department.
Wedding’s arrest comes after a monthslong search and investigation. Last month, Mexican authorities seized a large number motorcycles believed to be owned by Wedding. The motorcycles have an estimated value of approximately $40 million.
In November, the FBI seized a rare, $13 million 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster as part of their ongoing manhunt.
The seizure of the rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster is part of the ongoing manhunt for Ryan Wedding, the alleged drug kingpin and former Canadian Olympic snowboarder.
The U.S. Department of State was offering a $15 million reward for information regarding Wedding, who is alleged to be a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Patel.
Prior to starting his alleged criminal enterprise, Wedding, whose alleged aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant” and “Public Enemy,” was a professional snowboarder and competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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