Khaberni - In a striking development in a case that shakes public opinion in North America, the Federal Bureau of Investigation "FBI" published a recent picture of Ryan Widing, the former Canadian Olympic athlete and one of the most prominent fugitives on the office’s top 10 most wanted list.
The picture comes as part of widespread international search operations led by American authorities, who describe Widing as "the biggest drug trafficker in Canada" and some reports compare him to "the Pablo Escobar of the modern era" based on the severity of the charges against him.
$15 million for information leading to his capture
The FBI reported that the published image shows Widing in a region in Mexico during the summer of last year. Investigators estimate that the suspect uses multiple methods to hide his identity, including regularly changing his hair color and appearance to avoid arrest.
According to the investigations, intense efforts are being made to capture him, to the extent that the United States has offered a large reward of $15 million for any information that leads to his arrest.
Large criminal network and arrests of his associates
The American authorities confirm that Widing is leading a wide network involved in smuggling drugs and money across multiple borders. As part of the ongoing campaign, the FBI last month arrested Rashid Baskua Hussein, one of his top aides, on charges including cocaine smuggling and money laundering.
According to Kash Patel, an FBI official, Widing (44 years old) was responsible for building a smuggling program associated with drugs and terrorism that the region has not seen in years.
Serious charges including the murder of a federal witness
The US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, stated that Widing is accused of orchestrating an operation targeting a federal witness by posting his picture on a fake news site, which - according to the authorities - led to the witness's death in Medellin in January 2025.
The investigations indicate that Widing paid about 7 thousand dollars for the witness's photos, who was supposed to testify against him, and that the picture was published in October 2024 several months before his assassination.
The list of charges against Ryan Widing includes:
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Witness tampering and intimidation
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Murder
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Money laundering
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International drug trafficking
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Possible connection to the Sinaloa Cartel smuggling organization
The American and Canadian authorities believe that Widing is in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the strongest smuggling organizations in the world, which is estimated to earn more than one billion dollars annually from its criminal activities.
In Canada, the Royal Canadian Police Commissioner, Michael Doheim, announced the arrest of 7 individuals suspected of being connected to the network, in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, with confirmation of the intention to extradite them to the United States.
