LOS ANGELES – FBI agents in Los Angeles held a news conference Thursday regarding a drug smuggling case that led to a raid on a multi-million dollar mansion on an exclusive island neighborhood in Aventura.
The FBI confirmed it conducted “court-ordered law enforcement activity” in the area of 3914 Island Estates Drive, located in the gated community of the same name, on Wednesday. Homeowner Nahim Jorge Bonilla, a music executive, was arrested and indicted in the case. Records show the sprawling 6,697 sq. ft. Aventura home was sold for $4.8 million in 2020.
Recommended Videos
Mounds of cocaine and methamphetamine were seized earlier this year in California as part of the investigation, authorities said.
According to a 52-page indictment, the defendants ran and operated a sophisticated network, allegedly coordinating the transport of bulk cocaine and meth from California to Canada. The ring also operated in Mexico and Colombia, according to the indictment.
Authorities said it was run by a Canadian former Olympic athlete, 43-year-old ex-snowboarder Ryan Wedding. He remains at large and was last known to be in Mexico.
The group was sending roughly 60 tons of cocaine to the U.S. and Canada every year, authorities said.
Read the indictment:
“This group was ruthless and violent,” an official said Thursday, tying the ring to multiple “execution-style” murders in Canada.
An official from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police joined FBI agents at Thursday’s news conference.
He promised to continue pursuing those involved.
Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department and Ontario Provincial Police also spoke.
Watch news conference: