May.09, 2010, 2:09 AM

A former Canadian snowboarder will spend the next four years off the slopes after being convicted of shredding the wrong kind of powder.

Coquitlam's Ryan Wedding was handed a four-year sentence in a California court Thursday for conspiring to distribute cocaine in an alleged smuggling operation.

The 28-year-old finished 24th in parallel giant slalom in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games and had aspirations to qualify to represent Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

But those dreams were dashed on June 13, 2008, when Wedding and co-accused Hassan Shirani, of North Vancouver, were arrested by FBI agents as they left a San Diego hotel in a rental car.

U.S. authorities claim Wedding, Shirani and Vancouver's Michael Krapchan were in California working for a Vancouver-based drug ring operated by Elmar Akhundrov, who was originally a main target of the FBI sting. Akhundrov is currently under investigation for money laundering and drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Shirani and Krapchan have both pleaded guilty for their involvement.

U.S. authorities say the trio had travelled to San Diego earlier that month to purchase 24 kilograms of coke from a man named "Kuri" -- who unbeknownst to them was working as an FBI informant.

Taped conversations leading up to the bust between the informant and the trio detail the drug deal, with the Canadians eventually agreeing that Krapchan would pay $17,000 for one initial kilogram of cocaine before purchasing the rest.

All three men were arrested shortly after Krapchan made the buy. Agents found $100,000 US hidden in a hotel room rented by Wedding, as well as $3,000 in cash on the snowboarder himself.

Wedding has vehemently denied being part of a drug gang and has filed a motion for an acquittal and new trial, citing the quantity of coke purchased wasn't factored in when a jury convicted him last November. Instead, Wedding was convicted for conspiring to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine -- a crime that can usually carry a minimum 10-year sentence to life.

It's not known whether Wedding will continue with his acquittal motion, which was filed in March, as he could potentially be handed the full 10-year sentence in a new trial.