Former Olympic Canadian snowboarder wanted by FBI in murder-for-hire of couple killed in Caledon

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says a former Canadian Olympic athlete ordered the killing of a Caledon couple in a transnational drug trafficking scheme.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday that Ryan James Wedding, a member of the 2002 Canadian Winter Olympic Team in Salt Lake City, is wanted in connection to a drug-running operation linked to the shooting deaths of Caledon couple Jagtar Singh and Harbhajan Kaur.

The husband and wife were shot to death on Nov. 20, 2023, with the OPP saying multiple suspects came to their Caledon home in a black pickup truck, and the couple’s daughter Jaspreet Kaur was also seriously injured in the attack.

The FBI says the former Olympian and Andrew Clark, another Canadian, conspired with others to ship hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Southern California to Canada through a Canada-based drug transportation network.

U.S. authorities say the Caledon killings were a “retaliation for a stolen drug shipment,” and the OPP believes the family were mistakenly targeted by the killers. They were visited by Peel police officers just days before the shooting.

Clark was arrested on Oct. 8 in Mexico, but Wedding is still on the run and wanted by investigators in both the U.S. and Canada.

Jagtar Singh (left) and Harbhajan Kaur (right) were killed in a shooting on Nov. 20, 2023. Their daughter Jaspreet Kaur (middle) is still in hospital. (Photo: GoFundMe)

The FBI says the former Olympian is the indictment’s lead defendant and has multiple aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy.” A US$50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest and extradition to the U.S.

Both he and Clark have been charged with eight felonies, including two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, and three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.

If convicted, the accused face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in U.S. federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges.

Jagtar was pronounced dead at the scene while Kaur was rushed to hospital where she later died. A fundraiser for the family said their daughter Jaspreet was “shot with 13 bullets.”

Today, Niagara police also put out a press release regarding the case, saying that three Canadian suspects–Wedding, Clark and Malik Cunningham, 23–are facing charges in connection with the death of 29-year-old Randy Fader. Police say Fader was found with life-threatening injuries in Niagara Falls on April 1.

He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Cunningham was arrested on Oct. 16 in Toronto.

The OPP and Peel Regional Police launched an operation called Project Midnight last year following the shooting deaths of international student Jagraj Singh in Mississauga and the double murder in Caledon.

Investigators believe the two murder investigations are linked but that the victims were targeted by mistake.

“This is a testament to how collaboration and investigative diligence cross borders to identify perpetrators and bring crucial answers to victims and their families,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said in a statement.

Wedding ranked 24th when he competed in the Parallel Giant Slalom event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. It was his only showing as a member of the Canadian Olympic Team.