Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
An Edmonton man accused of helping alleged cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding track down an FBI informant so he could be killed has been granted bail.
Ahmad Nabil Zitoun, 35, is subject to ongoing extradition proceedings that could see him sent to California to face prosecution on charges including conspiracy to commit murder against an informant, witness tampering and cocaine trafficking.
Zitoun, arrested on extradition warrants last year, was granted release in an Edmonton courtroom last week, with the presiding judge characterizing the case against him as both severe but lacking in overwhelming evidence.
In a ruling released Friday, Court of King’s Bench Justice Marta Burns granted the release under strict conditions intended to limit his potential flight risk.
Zitoun must wear an ankle monitor and live under house arrest with his mother in his Edmonton home until his extradition case is heard.
Zitoun is among seven Canadians named in a U.S. federal indictment for their ties to a cross-border criminal enterprise allegedly operated by Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder now at the centre of a massive international drug trafficking case.
Wedding, accused of leading a cocaine-smuggling network tied to the Sinaloa cartel, was arrested last month in Mexico after living as an international fugitive for more than a decade.
A flight carrying Olympian-turned-drug kingpin Ryan Wedding touches down at an airport in Ontario, Calif., on Friday, a day after the Canadian surrendered to U.S. authorities in Mexico.
Retaliation plot
According to the indictment unsealed in November, Zitoun was involved in tracking Jonathan Acebedo-Garcia, a Montreal-born drug trafficker who had begun co-operating with the FBI and was preparing to testify against Wedding.
Federal prosecutors allege Wedding issued a $5 million US bounty for the killing of Acebedo-Garcia after discovering he had turned informant.
Acebedo-Garcia was shot to death over a meal in a Medellín restaurant in Colombia, on Jan. 31, 2025, by a hit squad linked to the Oficina de Envigado — a notorious Colombian crime syndicate.
Zitoun is accused of committing acts of “violence and drug trafficking” on behalf of Wedding’s criminal enterprise, and helping to track Acebedo-Garcia whereabouts in the weeks before the hit was carried out.
According to the case, Zitoun was hired last year to locate Acebedo-Garcia for approximately $10,000 plus expenses.
It’s alleged that in January 2025, on orders from Wedding and an associate, Zitoun travelled to Medellín, Colombia, and to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to find him.
While Zitoun was in Mecca, he was allegedly offered the contract to kill Acebedo-Garcia, which he declined.
Following his trip to Mecca, Zitoun was allegedly paid $40,000 for his efforts.
In her decision Friday, Burns said while the charges against Zitoun involve a violent drug trafficking organization, the evidence of his specific involvement is “sparsely identified” and have not been tested in court.
Burns also noted that Zitoun was tasked with locating Acebedo-Garcia’s rental properties and that it’s unclear, in the evidence provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, when he became aware of the murder plot.
“Based on the allegations, Mr. Zitoun was not the person who pulled the trigger,” Burns wrote. “He was paid to find the location of an Airbnb that was not where the victim was found murdered.”
The judge characterized Zitoun as a “low-level” member of the alleged drug ring.
Strict conditions
During the bail hearing, Zitoun’s legal team argued that the allegations against him rely solely on a co-operating witness, an unnamed informant whose credibility is compromised due his involvement with Wedding and the alleged murder plot.
His lawyers also argued that he posed no flight risk, telling the court he is a Canadian citizen and a lifelong Edmonton resident with strong ties to the community.
The judge concluded that strict bail conditions will mitigate the risk of his release.
Zitoun’s criminal record was “virtually non-existent” and, as a low-ranking member, he would receive no help from the cartel if he attempted to flee, Burns said.
“The information I have before me is that the organization deals with its problems or potential problems by eliminating risks, not helping its members get through them,” Burns wrote.
As part of his bail conditions, Zitoun offered the court a $50,000 surety, another $50,000 deposit from his mother and pledged the entire equity of his home as additional collateral to the court.
Zitoun is also barred from contacting his brother who also has alleged ties to Wedding’s criminal enterprise.
“A breach could result in his mother and grandmother becoming homeless. This is an effective measure to ensure compliance,” Burns wrote.
