Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum showcased a fabricated image of Ryan Wedding during a press briefing on Monday, claiming it as proof that the alleged drug lord had turned himself in willingly. The image, created using artificial intelligence and shared on an Instagram account supposedly linked to Wedding, was debunked by CBC News last week.
Addressing reporters in Mexico City, Sheinbaum dismissed any notion of U.S. involvement on Mexican territory, asserting that Wedding, a Canadian fugitive, had surrendered at the U.S. embassy by his own choice. The Instagram post, allegedly from Wedding’s “representative,” stated, “After securing assurances of a fair process, I have chosen to surrender to the authorities.”
The image, displayed on a large screen, showed Wedding at the U.S. Embassy, as per the Instagram account “bossryanw,” which was exposed by CBC News for featuring AI-generated images associated with Wedding. The account, now devoid of those images, only retains the AI-generated photo depicting Wedding at the embassy.
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder and one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives, stands accused of orchestrating a drug trafficking ring responsible for smuggling massive quantities of cocaine from Mexico into the U.S. and Canada. Arrested recently, he has been transported to California to face federal charges, including murder.
In an online statement, Mexican Attorney-General Ernestina Godoy Ramos labeled Wedding a prominent logistics operator linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, facilitating the widespread distribution of drugs in North America. Wedding pleaded not guilty to federal charges in a California courtroom.
The genesis of the AI-generated image, showcasing a figure resembling Wedding in front of the U.S. embassy, raised suspicions due to inconsistencies. Sheinbaum’s office and a representative for Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch declined to comment on the usage of the AI-generated image.
The conflicting narratives from U.S. and Mexican officials regarding Wedding’s apprehension underscore the complexity surrounding the high-profile arrest. According to a Vanity Fair article shared by FBI director Kash Patel, Mexican authorities initially detained Wedding before transferring him to U.S. custody following negotiations with the FBI.
Sheinbaum affirmed that there were no joint operations in Mexico and emphasized the country’s willingness to act on U.S. intelligence regarding suspects sought by American authorities. Godoy highlighted the intense pressure exerted by her office and Mexico’s security secretariat leading to Wedding’s purported voluntary surrender.
