Mexican authorities have seized dozens of flashy motorcycles worth an estimated $40 million believed to belong to Ryan Wedding, the Olympian-turned-alleged drug kingpin now listed among the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives, officials said.
The takedown was a joint operation involving the FBI, LAPD, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Mexican law enforcement.
A $15 million reward is being offered for information leading to Ryan Wedding’s arrest or conviction. Jam Press/FBIMexican authorities raided four properties in Mexico City and the State of Mexico, seizing 62 luxury motorcycles, two vehicles, artwork, drugs, and even two Olympic medals tied to Wedding’s past life as an elite athlete.
The motorcycle haul is the latest in a series of high-profile seizures in the case.
The FBI seized a rare $13 million Mercedes and released images highlighting Wedding’s distinctive tattoos in early December.
The former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is accused of moving roughly 60 metric tons of cocaine a year from Colombia through Mexico and into the U.S. Authorities say the investigation is part of the coyly-named Operation Giant Slalom.
Mexican authorities seized 62 luxury motorcycles. FBI Los AngelesWedding competed for Canada as a snowboarder at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah and was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list earlier this year.
“Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada,” said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, in a press release issued in early March.
Wedding is also accused of working with the Sinaloa Cartel and allegedly ordering the murder of an FBI witness in Colombia earlier this year to derail the case against his trafficking network.
“The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger,” Davis said.
U.S. officials believe Wedding is hiding in Mexico under cartel protection. The United States Department of State is offering up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The FBI has warned Wedding may have dramatically altered his appearance, including changing his hair or even possible undergoing plastic surgery, to evade capture.
