New details have surfaced linking a suspected transnational drug trafficking ring, allegedly led by a wanted Olympian, to an April homicide in Ontario.
An affidavit filed by a Toronto police officer assigned to the fugitive squad reveals that evidence from a suspect’s cellphone indicates how the group orchestrated the man’s death.
Court documents allege that the ring’s second-in-command, Andrew Clark, hired hitmen, including Malik Damion Cunningham, who used aliases such as Jamal Abukar and MrPerfect.
The documents claim that Clark provided Cunningham with a list of targets to murder, including a man known as R.F.
Conversations between Clark and Cunningham on an encrypted messaging service reportedly took place before R.F. was shot and killed in front of his Niagara Falls home on April 1.
On October 17, Niagara Regional Police announced that several individuals had been arrested in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Randy Fader on April 1.
The same day, Clark, Cunningham, and former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding were named in a California indictment involving 16 suspects accused of trafficking cocaine and orchestrating murders.
The indictment alleges that Wedding, Clark, and others were involved in transporting cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles before delivering it to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the organization resorted to violence, including multiple murders, to achieve its goals.
Wedding and Clark were accused of directing the murders of two individuals in Ontario on November 20, 2023, as retaliation for a stolen drug shipment. They also allegedly ordered the murder of another victim on May 18 over a drug debt.
Clark and Cunningham were charged with the April 1 murder in Niagara, with Clark being arrested by Mexican law enforcement on October 8.
Wedding, known by aliases “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy,” faces multiple felony charges and is considered a fugitive with a reward for his arrest and extradition to the U.S.
If convicted, Wedding, Clark, and Cunningham could face a mandatory minimum of life in federal prison for the murder and attempted murder charges.
