Court documents link alleged Olympian drug ring to Ontario murder

Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Vesill is pictured in this undated photo released by the FBI. New details are emerging linking an alleged transnational drug-trafficking ring run by a wanted Olympian to a murder in Ontario in April. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO – Federal Bureau of Investigation

New details are emerging linking a suspected transnational drug-trafficking ring allegedly run by a wanted Olympian to a murder in Ontario in April.

An affidavit filed by Toronto police officers assigned to the fugitive group says evidence collected from a suspected group member’s cell phone shows how the group orchestrated the man’s death.

Documents on file in a Toronto court allege the gang’s second-in-command, Andrew Clarke, hired “killers,” including Malik Damion Cunningham, who used the aliases Jamal Abukar and MrPerfect (sic).

The documents allege that Clark provided Cunningham with a list of targets to kill, including a man known in court records as R.F.

The documents say the pair spoke over the encrypted messaging service Threema about a list of targets, with Cunningham allegedly telling Clark: “Give me the easiest one first,” adding that he would need a car, fake ID and “a place to get a gun.” after.”

Meanwhile, Clark allegedly told Cunningham to “drive through Niagara, blow this guy up.” (sic)

The affidavit states that these conversations took place before R.F. was shot in front of his home in Niagara Falls on April 1.

Niagara Regional Police announced on October 17 that the US Department of Justice and the FBI have arrested several people in connection with the April 1 killing of 29-year-old Randy Fader.

That same day, Clark, Cunningham and former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding were named in a California indictment against 16 suspects who allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine across North America and orchestrated several murders.

The indictment alleges that Wesding, Clark and others participated in a scheme to transport cocaine from Mexico to the Los Angeles area, where it was allegedly stored in caches before being delivered to couriers for transport to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks.

“The organization has resorted to violence — including multiple murders — to achieve its goals,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 17 press release.

The office alleged that Wesding and Clark masterminded the Nov. 20, 2023, murders of two people in Ontario in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. Another member of that family survived the shooting but was seriously injured, the office said.

Wedding and Clark also allegedly ordered the May 18 killing of another victim over a drug debt, while Clark and Cunningham were charged in the April 1 killing in Niagara.

Clark was arrested on October 8 by Mexican law enforcement.

Winding, who represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, lived in Mexico.

His aliases include “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy” and he faces eight felony charges, including conspiracy to export cocaine, three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal activity and one count of attempted murder. murder.

He is considered a fugitive and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and extradition to the United States

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that if convicted, Vending, Clark and Cunningham face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 26, 2024.

— with files from Sonja Puzic in Toronto