Fugitive Angeleno Helped Ex-Olympian Run Billion-Dollar Drug Empire: Feds

LOS ANGELES, CA — A reputed Los Angeles gang member who fled to Mexico is accused of helping a former Olympic snowboarder run a billion-dollar drug trafficking empire while obtaining sensitive law enforcement information to help him evade U.S. authorities, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Roberto Gomez, 51, who authorities say is a 38th Street gang member formerly from the Central-Alameda neighborhood, was charged in a six-count federal indictment in connection with the criminal organization allegedly run by Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian Olympian accused of trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and ordering multiple murders.

Gomez, also known as "Rob Flores," "Fat Boy," "Fats" and "Rooster," remains a fugitive in Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal prosecutors claim Gomez cultivated relationships with people who had access to confidential information from U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies, allowing him to obtain details about investigations, arrests, drug seizures, search warrants and criminal charges.

He then shared that intelligence with Wedding and other members of the trafficking organization to help them avoid capture, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors claim Gomez also developed relationships with leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.

From 2016 through 2026, Gomez allegedly supplied cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to multiple international criminal organizations, including Wedding's operation.

The drugs were transported by plane and boat through Central America into Mexico before being moved over land into the U.S. and Canada, according to prosecutors.

Gomez is also accused of attempting to arrange the sale of approximately 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine to Wedding for $550,000 in cryptocurrency.

The indictment charges Gomez with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to import narcotics, three counts of accessory after the fact and attempting to conduct business with a specially designated narcotics trafficker.

Gomez has been wanted by authorities for decades. He fled Los Angeles County after being charged with two counts of second-degree robbery in 2000, and a federal grand jury indicted him on drug trafficking and money laundering charges in 2018, according to prosecutors.

Wedding, 45, competed in the giant slalom snowboarding event at the 2002 Winter Olympics before prosecutors claim he became the leader of an international drug trafficking organization.

Federal investigators in 2024 was charged with overseeing a network that moved approximately 60 tons of cocaine annually between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California and Canada.

According to prosecutors, the organization stored drugs in Los Angeles stash houses before transporting them to Canada in long-haul semi-trucks.

Wedding was also accused of ordering several murders, including the January 2025 killing of a witness in Colombia who was involved in a federal narcotics case against him.

After being placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and becoming the subject of a $15 million reward, Wedding was captured in Mexico in January.

'El General' Indictment Unsealed

In a related case announced Tuesday, federal prosecutors also unsealed an indictment against Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, 42, who was shot and killed by Mexican police last week.

Vazquez, also known as "El General" and "Mini," allegedly led a violent Mexico City-based criminal organization known as El Cártel Nuevo Imperio and trafficked cocaine for Wedding.

According to prosecutors, Vazquez provided members of Wedding's organization with frequently changing code words they could use at Mexican police and military checkpoints to move drug shipments without interference.

He also allegedly bribed Mexican officials to delay investigations, tamper with evidence and dismiss criminal charges against members of the organization.

Both Gomez and Vazquez are accused of helping Wedding evade U.S. law enforcement between October 2024 and January 2026.

If convicted of all charges, Gomez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.