The FBI announced the capture of a man wanted for his alleged role in a drug-trafficking network that authorities say is led by a former Olympic snowboarder on the bureau’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Rasheed Pascua Hossain, 32, was arrested Friday by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company. His profile on the FBI “Most Wanted” list was updated afterward to note that he had been “captured.”
Authorities say Hossain helped facilitate money laundering for what federal officials described as a criminal enterprise run by failed Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. Authorities named Wedding when announcing a federal indictment last week, saying that he and Hossain were still at large, along with one other suspect.
Hossain is accused of concealing drug trafficking proceeds and allegedly using the money to further facilitate the criminal conspiracy. Federal court records were not immediately available for Hossain, and its unclear if he has retained an attorney.
The FBI did not respond to NBC News’ request for more information about Hossain’s arrest.
Wedding is still on the run, and officials believe he is being sheltered by drug cartels.
Federal officials say Wedding oversees an enterprise responsible for importing more than 60 tons of cocaine into Los Angeles each year. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as controlling “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world.”
“He is currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada,” Bondi said at a press conference Wednesday.
Wedding allegedly ordered the assassinations of rival traffickers and put a “multimillion dollar bounty” on a witness expected to testify against him. That witness was fatally shot at a restaurant in Colombia in January, according to the Justice Department. Court documents filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and cited by the CBC indicate another witness had turned on him and “agreed to assist U.S. authorities in the investigation of Wedding’s organization, specifically in regard to the January 2025 murder.”
Last week’s indictment also accuses Wedding of ordering the deaths of two members of a family in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment.
Prosecutors charged Wedding with murder, witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering and drug trafficking. A $15 million reward is being offered for information that might lead to his arrest.
Wedding represented Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics but did not medal. He was later convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine after being caught traveling to San Diego to purchase the drug with two other men.
At his 2010 sentencing hearing, Wedding appeared to show remorse, saying, “I guess I lost my way.”
He was released from federal prison in December 2011.
Last week, 10 people were arrested as part of the federal investigation dubbed “Operation Giant Slalom.” The FBI is still searching for Mexican national Bianca Canastillo-Madrid and Canadian Tommy Demorizi, believed to be hiding in the Dominican Republic.
