FORMER OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER WANTS COURT TO OVERTURN HIS COCAINE
TRAFFICKING CONVICTION

Ryan Wedding Says Evidence Shows Deal Was For Less Cocaine -- And That
His Sentence Should Be Reduced

Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding wants a California court to
set aside his conviction for cocaine trafficking and grant him a new
trial.

Wedding, a Coquitlam resident arrested in San Diego in June 2008,
filed documents in the District Court in Southern California Thursday.

The filing came in the middle of the 2010 Olympics in which Wedding
claimed he had hoped to participate.

He competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City games, placing 24th in his
event, but has not participated internationally since then.

Wedding is facing a 10-year minimum sentence after being convicted in
December of conspiring to distribute 24 kilograms of cocaine. He was
arrested after a sting in which U.S. agents and an informant purported
to be drug traffickers willing to sell the cocaine to the Canadian
group.

The arrests were made after a single kilogram was exchanged for
cash.

Wedding's new lawyer, Ben Coleman, says in his motion that the
evidence at trial supported a conviction for only a single kilogram of
cocaine and not the 24 the prosecution said was in play.

The lesser amount would trigger a sentence of between five and 40
years and not the 10 years to life set out for a quantity of cocaine
greater than five kilograms.

"Mr. Wedding contends that a new trial is required as to the
determination of the quantity of cocaine because his lawyer rendered
ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to make any quantity
arguments to the jury and by failing to request appropriate jury
instructions as to the quantity issue," Coleman said in his motion.

He quotes the testimony of North Vancouver resident Hassan Shirani,
who pleaded guilty in the same cocaine conspiracy and was a
prosecution witness against Wedding.

"Although there were initial discussions of a 24-kilogram deal, that
deal was 'called off,' and instead there was a completed sale of only
one kilogram of cocaine," Coleman said.

"There was no scheduled delivery of any further amount. Indeed,
Shirani specifically testified that they were reluctant to deal with
Yuri [the informant] and that they decided to purchase only one
kilogram of cocaine. Shirani further testified that only if they were
satisfied with the one kilogram and the way the one-kilogram deal was
completed would they consider buying more, but that there were no firm
plans in that regard."

Wedding's motion to overturn the jury verdict will be heard March 11,
the same day he was supposed to be sentenced in the case.

The U.S. Attorney said in court documents that Wedding was working for
a B.C. drug trafficking organization headed by Elmar Akhundov, who has
never been charged.

Wedding was also caught on tape saying that he and Shirani would "grab
one" kilo of cocaine and "have a look at it" before getting the
remaining 23 kilograms.

The B.C. group paid the confidential informant $17,000 for the first
kilogram.

After the deal was done, Shirani and Wedding were picked up at a San
Diego hotel where Wedding had rented a room. In his room, hidden in a
piece of furniture, police "agents located approximately $100,000 of
United States currency."

Wedding has always denied being part of the drug gang and said he
travelled to California with Shirani only to check out real estate
deals.