Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Velding has been added to the FBI’s list of the top ten most wanted fugitives
19 november 2025 в 20:37
Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Velding was added to the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted criminals earlier this year. On March 6, the FBI in Los Angeles announced that 44-year-old Velding had been added to the list, calling him a «very dangerous individual». Last year, he was charged in federal court in Los Angeles with multiple counts, including running a criminal organization, committing murder in connection with that organization, and various drug crimes, according to the FBI.
Learn more about his past and the charges against him below.
Velding was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, and is primarily known for his career as an Olympic snowboarder. He represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he competed in snowboard giant slalom events.
Velding, whose aliases reportedly include «El Jefe», - «Giant», - «Public Enemy», - «James Conrad King», - and «Jesse King», - is wanted for «alleged management of a transnational drug trafficking network that regularly shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other locations in the United States, as well as for organizing several murders and attempted murders in connection with these drug crimes», - according to the FBI.
«Velding went from snowboarding on Olympic slopes to distributing cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada», - said Akil Davis, deputy director of the FBI in Los Angeles, in a press statement.
The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of $ 10 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction for information that will lead to his detention, arrest, and extradition.
Although Velding’s whereabouts are unknown, it is believed that he may be in Mexico. However, investigators do not rule out the possibility of him being in other areas, including the U.S., Canada, Honduras, Guatemala, or Costa Rica.
Velding’s alleged deputy, also Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last year by Mexican authorities. Clark was among 29 fugitives extradited to the U.S. from Mexico in late February 2025
Learn more about his past and the charges against him below.
Velding was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, and is primarily known for his career as an Olympic snowboarder. He represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he competed in snowboard giant slalom events.
Velding, whose aliases reportedly include «El Jefe», - «Giant», - «Public Enemy», - «James Conrad King», - and «Jesse King», - is wanted for «alleged management of a transnational drug trafficking network that regularly shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada and other locations in the United States, as well as for organizing several murders and attempted murders in connection with these drug crimes», - according to the FBI.
«Velding went from snowboarding on Olympic slopes to distributing cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada», - said Akil Davis, deputy director of the FBI in Los Angeles, in a press statement.
The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of $ 10 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction for information that will lead to his detention, arrest, and extradition.
Although Velding’s whereabouts are unknown, it is believed that he may be in Mexico. However, investigators do not rule out the possibility of him being in other areas, including the U.S., Canada, Honduras, Guatemala, or Costa Rica.
Velding’s alleged deputy, also Canadian Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico last year by Mexican authorities. Clark was among 29 fugitives extradited to the U.S. from Mexico in late February 2025
© Kolganov Andrey
