LA gang member charged over Olympic snowboarder's drug ring

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 17:13 · Archive

Roberto Gomez, a fugitive Los Angeles gang member, has been charged with helping former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding run a billion-dollar drug trafficking operation.

Roberto Gomez, 51, a fugitive member of LA's 38th Street gang, has been charged in a six-count federal indictment for helping Ryan James Wedding operate a billion-dollar drug trafficking operation. Gomez, also known as 'Fat Boy', 'Fats' and 'Rooster', is accused of obtaining sensitive law enforcement information and providing it to Wedding and other co-conspirators to help them avoid detection by authorities.

While in Mexico, Gomez allegedly cultivated relationships with individuals who had access to law enforcement intelligence from both Mexican and U.S. agencies. He obtained information about law enforcement operations including arrests, drug seizures, warrant executions and the filing of criminal charges. The Justice Department said he communicated with leaders of foreign terrorist organisations including the Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.

Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was arrested in Mexico City in January after being placed on the FBI's most wanted list. He is charged with running a transnational drug trafficking enterprise shipping cocaine from Colombia to the US and Canada. Wedding is also accused of ordering the deaths of several people, including a federal witness fatally shot in Colombia last year. The 45-year-old previously served four years in federal prison after attempting to purchase cocaine in 2008.

How it is being reported

• Feared LA gangster helped Olympian drug kingpin Ryan Wedding operate billion-dollar drug trafficking operationThe new indictment charges the gangster with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to import deadly narcotics.Daily Mail Sport · 14 Nov, 21:05
• LA gang member, who helped Olympian turned into billion-dollar drug trafficker, charged in federal indictmentRoberto Gomez allegedly fed sensitive law enforcement intel to Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding's billion-dollar cocaine trafficking operation.Fox News · 14 Nov, 16:53
• LA gangster ‘Fat Boy’ helped Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin run billion-dollar trafficking ring: fedsThe fugitive gang member allegedly worked with Mexican cartels and leaked law-enforcement intelligence to help Ryan James Wedding run his drug empire.New York Post · 13 Nov, 23:42

In this story: Roberto Gomez · Ryan James Wedding · 38th Street gang · Sinaloa Cartel · Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación · Los Angeles · Mexico · Colombia

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log