The Most Wanted Olympian from Uncover

Former federal agent Brett Kalina is one of only a handful of law enforcement officers to come face to face with Ryan Wedding. In 2008, after years following the flow of money and drugs, Kalina arrests ‘The Boss’ and watches as the ex-snowboarder goes to trial.

But once behind bars, Wedding turns the tables. He makes prison work for him, using his time inside a violent Texas detention centre to allegedly make criminal connections and cartel contacts. And the next time the police come looking for him, he’s already gone.

This podcast is a co-production of Uncover from CBC and Suspicion from the Toronto Star.

Shots ring out in a neighbourhood north-west of Toronto. A father is dead and a mother and daughter are in hospital, battling for their lives. When Toronto Star reporter Calvi Leon arrives on the scene days later, witnesses tell her what really happened. What she learns starts her down a path she could never have imagined and leads to one man: former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding.

How does a small town Canadian kid, who was once called a labrador puppy by his teammates, find himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted list?

This podcast is a co-production of Uncover from CBC and Suspicion from the Toronto Star.

The Most Wanted Olympian is an official 2026 Tribeca Festival Winner. How did a small town Canadian boy allegedly become a narco kingpin? Ryan Wedding was once a promising young athlete, a snowboarder who reached the Olympics. Now captured after a decade on the run, he’s accused of running a deadly international drug trafficking empire.

In this new podcast from CBC and the Toronto Star, host Michelle Shephard and journalist Calvi Leon trace Wedding’s descent into a violent criminal underworld. From his beginnings at his family ski hill outside Thunder Bay, to Toronto and the shocking murders he’s accused of ordering, to Mexico where he was believed to be protected by the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, they uncover his illicit connections and the stories behind the victims caught in the crossfire.

Featuring on-the-ground reporting and original interviews, this podcast investigates the Canadian who the FBI called a “modern day El Chapo” and asks: what will it take to bring him to justice?

This series is a co-production of Uncover from CBC and Suspicion from the Toronto Star.

Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a
20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder
shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect from Pushkin, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience — a story that leaves no one off the hook.

Examined looks at overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved. Each season features deeply reported stories about crime, punishment, and the criminal legal system. Find more episodes of Examined: The Backfire Effect wherever you get podcasts. Binge the full series now with a Pushkin+ subscription — sign up on the Examined Apple show page or at pushkin.fm/plus.

A police wellness check reveals one of our key sources has been compromised. Aaron Linklater’s daughter comes forward. Were the people behind Cole Hosack’s murder the people who threatened her father too?

Host Timothy Sawa speaks with new sources, who take him even deeper into Dawson’s deadly drug trade. Who killed Aaron Linklater and why?