Ryan Wedding, former Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug kingpin, pleads not guilty
(NBC, KYMA) - Former Olympic snowboarder and alleged kingpin Ryan Wedding pleaded not guilty Monday to drug and murder charges.
The 44-year-old was arrested last week in Mexico, where federal authorities say he spent years operating a billion dollar drug trafficking organization.
"He didn't surrender. He was apprehended. He was arrested. And so any spin that the government of Mexico is putting on this that he surrendered is inaccurate. And I think if there's anybody in a position to know how his arrest and apprehension went down, it's his council," said Anthony Colombo, Wedding's attorney.
Wedding is also accused of orchestrating the murder and attempted murder of government witnesses.
The ex-athlete was ordered to be held without bail until trial. A status hearing was set for next month, with trial date scheduled for March 24.
Colombo spoke with reporters outside court following the not guilty plea.
"Mr. Wedding entered a not guilty plea to both indictments that he's been charged with. The indictments are not evidence. They're just an accusation. The way that our system works is that it's accusatory, not inquisitory," Colombo shared.
He also said his client is in good spirits adding, "He's a strong you know, he's a former Olympic athlete, which obviously takes a lot of mental toughness to participate in those type of games and at a high level."
