No, suspected drug lord Ryan Wedding is not posting photos on Instagram while on the run from the FBI
Tens of thousands of Instagram users appear to have been duped by an account allegedly belonging to Canadian Ryan Wedding.
Instead, a CBC News analysis found that the page is full of artificial intelligence-generated content.
Last week, a user with the handle bossryanw he started posting pictures of high-end motorcycles, a helicopter, a snowboarding medal – and even a small wedding photo – on his public Instagram profile.
As of Monday evening, the account has since attracted more than 44,000 followers installed on a Toronto crime blog and shared widely across the internet. Separately, 6ixBuzz’s gossip site posted on social media by X promoting the fake account generated at least 740,000 views.
“Bro’s anger at the FBI is insane,” said one user on the Instagram account. “This account is a great example of how easily people are fooled by AI,” wrote another.
Indeed, CBC News’ review of the account finds many red flags suggto look at the scammer was posting images created using AI.
In other words, no, the photos shared by the account don’t show Wedding – a former Olympic snowboarder for Team Canada who is now one of the world’s most wanted men – living the life of luxury while on the run.
For more than a decade, the refugee born in Thunder Bay, Ont. evading arrest while facing charges related to cocaine trafficking. First wanted by the RCMP in 2015, Wedding was added to the FBI’s most wanted list last year, amid allegations that he was planning a string of murders as the leader of a nationwide criminal enterprise.
In another post, the Instagram account features what appears to be an orange motorcycle signed by former MotoGP world champion Marc Márquez, with the message “para mi amigo RW,” or “for my friend RW.”
A representative of Márquez denied any relationship with the Marriage.
“The writing and signature on the photo was not done by Marc, and the motorcycle he has is a replica,” Márquez’s manager Jimmy Martínez told CBC via email. “Only the first one is the one Marc kept at home.”
The images show signs of AI interference
Other picture has an illuminated gold medallion in the image of Daffy Duck, with the caption: “The one I managed to save.”
The caption appears to refer to the seizure of property in December, including motorcycles and snowboarding trophies, in a planned raid on Mexican homes linked to the Wedding.
Although there is an Argentinian artist who creates this exact style of the Daffy Duck image, this particular image is either fully AI-engineered or heavily modified. The main clue is the illegible inscription on the medal. Image AI tools still struggle to render text, so typing is a sign of AI disruption.
Another example is a photo of a collection of MotoGP motorcycles, including Andrea Dovizioso’s Mission Winnow Ducati and Márquez’s Repsol Honda.
Although the image at first suggests an actual collection, zooming in reveals that the text is also illegible. In addition, some parts of the machines are poorly rendered, both clear indications of the AI generation.
Finally, the image shows a man holding the door of what appears to be a Bell 407 series helicopter.
However, the rotor lacks important mechanical details, the doors are mis-rendered, the man’s shirt has no realistic texture and the image contains a few things common to AI-generated content.
The user claims to be Ryan Wedding
Last week, CBC News reached out to someone who uses an Instagram account. They invited a reporter to talk about Threema, the secret messaging app that Wedding allegedly used to communicate with colleagues.
“Yes, brother,” wrote a user when asked if the 44-year-old marriage was indeed.
“I’d like to give an in-person interview somewhere in the world,” the user added later.
The bosryanw account first gained attention last week when a Reddit user posted a screenshot of the Instagram page on the Netflix show’s subreddit. Andrcs.
The Instagram account is then set to “private” mode, meaning the user must approve any new viewers. A screenshot has been taken has been removed by subreddit moderators.
The FBI has recently seized a number of high-end motorcycles believed to belong to Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding with an estimated value of $40 million US. The FBI is now confirming that some motorcycles were used in professional racing.
Public Instagram data showed the account was based in Bolivia, and had changed usernames seven times since it was created in January 2021.
A user who contacted CBC through Threema declined to provide evidence of any connection to Marriage.
Mathieu Lavigne, lead analyst at McGill University’s Media Ecosystem Observatory, says it’s not surprising to see more users engaging with AI content.
“It plays on popular criminal curiosity, encourages speculation and appears to have been enhanced by X’s recommendation system, which primarily rewards engagement,” he said in an email.
He says Instagram photos highlight what he warns is a worrying trend.
“More and more of the content Canadians see on social media is powered by AI.”
An FBI spokesman declined to comment on the account. Instagram’s parent company Meta did not respond to a request for comment.
The FBI said Marriage lives in Mexico, under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel.
Last month, Mexican authorities said they seized 62 high-end motorcycles during raids on four wedding-related addresses in and around Mexico City. The FBI said the motorcycles – including genuine MotoGP machines used in professional racing – are worth an estimated $40 million.
The FBI has released only three confirmed wedding photos taken since 2024. The most recent photo, said to have been taken last summer in Mexico, shows the six-foot-three-inch former athlete lying in bed, with a lion tattoo visible on his chest.
