Ryan Wedding, Alleged Kingpin, Makes First Court Appearance, Pleads Not Guilty

Ryan Wedding made his first court appearance following his arrest last week in Mexico City ... with the alleged international drug kingpin pleading not guilty to all 17 felony charges against him, and his attorney urging the public to keep an open mind.

Wedding appeared before Judge John D. Early on Monday afternoon in a Santa Ana courtroom. On top of his not guilty plea, he was ordered jailed without bond and will remain in U.S. custody.

Speaking with TMZ Sports outside the courtroom ... Wedding's attorney, Anthony Colombo, fired back at FBI Director Kash Patel's claim that the Canadian Olympic snowboarder is a modern-day El Chapo and Pablo Escobar.

"Does he look like El Chapo to you?" Colombo said. "Does he look like Pablo Escobar to you? No, he's a former Olympic athlete, and I don't think he's who they claim him to be."

It all comes after the FBI was able to grab Wedding, who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives list, last Thursday in Mexico's capital city. Patel did not disclose many of the details behind his capture, but underscored the importance of his arrest, calling him ''the largest narco-trafficker in modern times."

As he arrived back in the States last week, the 44-year-old walked off the DOJ plane rocking a black baseball cap with a black vest, grey undershirt and a pair of jeans with his hands cuffed out in front as he made his way across the tarmac at Ontario International Airport.