A Calgary native and former junior hockey player has been apprehended on extradition warrants as part of an FBI operation aimed at capturing an alleged Canadian drug kingpin sought for various crimes, including murder. Allistair Chapman, aged 33, is accused of facilitating the targeting and potential assassination of a witness through the distribution of a photo to a co-conspirator for publication on the Dirty News website. This action was allegedly intended to prevent the witness from testifying against Ryan Wedding, the purported head of a transnational criminal syndicate.
Chapman was taken into custody in Calgary and is facing extradition to California on multiple charges, such as conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit murder, and engaging in organized crime activities. Operation Giant Slalom, an extensive international investigation, resulted in the arrest of ten individuals, seven of whom are Canadian residents, on Tuesday. The operation is focused on unraveling the murders of several individuals, including a cooperating witness, as well as cocaine trafficking and importation activities.
Ryan Wedding, the prime target of the probe, is a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned fugitive, currently residing in Mexico according to the FBI. A total of 11 individuals were arrested following the unsealing of a federal grand jury indictment on Wednesday morning. Additionally, four other individuals, including Wedding and two more Canadians, are being sought in connection with the investigation. The indictment alleges Chapman’s involvement in the “Wedding Criminal Enterprise,” a billion-dollar drug trafficking organization spanning Mexico, Colombia, Canada, and the U.S., purportedly the primary cocaine supplier to Canada.
A press conference held in Washington, D.C., by U.S. officials, including FBI director Kash Patel and RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme, revealed details of the arrests. According to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Wedding, based in Mexico, oversees a significant and violent drug trafficking network. He stands accused of orchestrating multiple murders, including that of a witness in a federal drug case in 2024. Chapman, as per the indictment, allegedly facilitated the identification and subsequent killing of a victim by providing a photo for online publication, resulting in the victim’s fatal shooting in a Colombian restaurant in January.
Wedding and his associates are alleged to be responsible for importing substantial quantities of cocaine annually from Colombia, through Mexico, into North America. John Hurley, the Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, emphasized the exposure of the network supporting Ryan Wedding.
Chapman’s arrest on Tuesday was based on an extradition warrant authorized by a Quebec judge. He appeared briefly in court before Court of King’s Bench Justice Shane Parker, with Department of Justice lawyer Colin LaRoche representing the Crown and Chad Haggerty appearing for the defense. Chapman is currently detained under the Extradition Act and is scheduled to reappear in a Calgary court on Friday, with Haggerty declining to provide any remarks.
Chapman had a previous encounter with law enforcement in 2018 when he was implicated as the leader of an organized crime group in Calgary involved in international drug and firearms trafficking. Despite being linked to two murders, Chapman did not face homicide charges at that time. The culmination of Project Arbour led to 46 charges being filed against six individuals, including Chapman, by a joint effort involving Calgary police, RCMP, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. All charges were eventually dropped in July 2020 after a judge ruled that Chapman’s right to a prompt trial, as per the Charter, was infringed upon. Chapman had a hockey background, having played in the AJHL for the Calgary Royals and the Drayton Valley Thunder.