Rasheed Pascua Hossain one of many alleged members and associates of former Olympic snowboarder now in custody
A Canadian man wanted by U.S. authorities for his alleged ties to former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding, accused by the FBI of running a drug smuggling ring, has been arrested.
According to a Friday night social media update from the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, 33-year-old Rasheed Pascua Hossain was captured by the RCMP in Vancouver.
The FBI said an arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 28 for Hossain, who faces cocaine and money laundering charges south of the border in relation to his alleged role in what officials call the Wedding Criminal Enterprise.
Canadian courts will have to assess any extradition requests for Hossain before he would face charges in the U.S.
The FBI said Bianca Canastillo-Madrid, 37, of Mexico City, and Tommy Demorizi, 35, of Montreal, who they believe is a fugitive in the Dominican Republic, are still wanted.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Giant Slalom, alleges Wedding is a narco-trafficker on par with notorious drug lords like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar.
The FBI raised the reward for Wedding’s capture to $15 million on Wednesday, and have offered additional rewards for information leading to the arrests of unknown assassins who authorities said murdered a potential witness last January in Medellin, Colombia.
“He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged during a Wednesday press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Authorities allege, under Wedding’s direction, his drug operation has trafficked 60 metric tons of cocaine per year.