Overview
- At his initial appearance Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Early ordered the 44-year-old detained pending trial following his transfer to federal court in Santa Ana.
- Wedding faces 17 felonies across two indictments, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, cocaine trafficking, murder in connection with a criminal enterprise and witness tampering, with potential life sentences if convicted.
- Authorities allege his organization moved up to 60 tons of cocaine sourced in Colombia through Mexico and Southern California to Canada under Sinaloa Cartel protection, using Los Angeles as a distribution hub.
- Prosecutors say he directed multiple killings, including two Canadians in 2023, another slaying in 2024 over a drug debt and the January 2025 murder of a U.S. federal witness in Medellín.
- He was taken into custody in Mexico City last week and flown to Southern California after placement on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list with a $15 million reward, as his attorney disputes that he surrendered; a status conference is set for Feb. 11 with a tentative March 24 jury trial.