Dozens of luxury motorcycles, with an estimated value of around $40 million (£30m), have been confiscated by Mexican officials in a major international operation targeting a former Olympic snowboarder now on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
From Olympic Slopes to Alleged Drug Kingpin
Canadian national Ryan Wedding, 44, once competed for his country at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in the men's parallel giant slalom. Today, US and Canadian authorities draw comparisons between him and infamous narcotics figures like Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Wedding is accused of leading a sophisticated, multi-national drug trafficking network that allegedly moves approximately 60 tons of cocaine annually between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California, and Canada using long-haul lorries. He is believed to be operating under the protection of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel while living in Mexico.
A $15m Reward and a Witness Murder
The US authorities are so determined to capture Wedding that they are offering up to $15 million (£11m) for information leading directly to his arrest. The charges against him are severe and extend beyond drug trafficking.
In a federal indictment unsealed in California, Wedding was accused of orchestrating the murder of a federal witness in Colombia in January to prevent his own extradition to the United States. Authorities allege he and co-conspirators used a Canadian website, The Dirty News, to post the witness's photograph to facilitate the identification. The witness was subsequently followed to a restaurant in Medellin and shot in the head.
Ten other defendants have been arrested in connection with these charges.
International Cooperation Yields Major Seizures
The recent seizure of the multi-million dollar motorcycle collection was the result of a coordinated effort. Mexican authorities executed multiple search warrants this month, with assistance from the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Alongside the high-value bikes, other items belonging to Wedding were confiscated, including artworks and medals. The FBI stated the seizures significantly disrupt the operations and assets of the alleged criminal enterprise.
Wedding, who also uses aliases such as El Jefe, Public Enemy, and James Conrad King, remains at large. The case underscores the global reach of organised crime and the dramatic fall from grace of a former elite athlete. As US Attorney General Pam Bondi declared last month: "Whether you are a street-level drug dealer ... or an international drug kingpin, we are coming for you."
