A South Los Angeles man was federally charged Tuesday for allegedly helping an international drug trafficking ring operated by Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding while helping the alleged drug kingpin evade law enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Roberto Gomez, originally from the Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles, is believed to be in Mexico to avoid prosecution in a second-degree robbery case dating back to 2000.
The 51-year-old fugitive was also charged by a federal grand jury in 2018 with drug trafficking and money laundering.
Gomez, who used multiple aliases, including Rob Flores, Fat Boy, Fats and Rooster, served as a go-between for transnational drug suppliers, including Wedding, according to the DOJ. Investigators believe Gomez transported cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl from Central America to Mexico using planes and boats. He then used “land-based transportation” to move the narcotics from Mexico to the U.S. and Canada, the department said.
Between October 2024 and January 2026, while U.S. and international authorities were trying to track down Wedding, Gomez allegedly helped him evade investigators, possibly using information obtained through his network. Federal investigators said Gomez built relationships with people who had access to “sensitive” information from Mexican and American law enforcement agencies.
He allegedly obtained information about law enforcement operations involving drug seizures, arrests and warrant executions.
The DOJ also said Gomez brokered the sale of 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine between a supplier and Wedding for $500,000 in cryptocurrency.
The latest charges were filed as Wedding’s trial was postponed, largely because of the complexity of the case and the volume of evidence. Wedding’s aliases include “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy” and “James Conrad King.”
Wedding was arrested and brought to the U.S. in January 2026 to face federal charges of running a criminal enterprise, murder, conspiring to distribute cocaine and other crimes. Authorities estimate the drug ring moved about 60 tons of cocaine a year, using semi-trailer trucks to transport the drugs between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California and Canada.
In a separate but related indictment, the Justice Department shared new information about Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, who was fatally shot by Mexican police last week.
Vazquez, believed to be the founder of a violent criminal organization called El Cártel Nuevo Imperio, trafficked cocaine for Wedding’s organization while allegedly bribing Mexican public officials to slow criminal investigations into Wedding, according to the DOJ.
Wedding’s fall from Olympic glory unfolded over two decades as he allegedly became a key figure in a violent and lucrative drug operation, according to authorities.
Wedding is suspected of orchestrating killings tied to the billion-dollar cocaine operation, including the murder of a federal witness.Born in Thunder Bay, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Superior, Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. He finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom, marking the height of his snowboarding career.