$40M Motorcycle Seizure: Ryan Wedding Case

Here’s what can happen when a former top athlete plunges into drug trafficking. On Monday, the FBI office in Los Angeles released impressive photos on X. In them: rows of endless motorcycles, including models ridden by MotoGP champions like Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. They allegedly belong to one of the most wanted men by the American police service.

“This month, Mexican authorities executed several search warrants and seized a large number of motorcycles with an estimated value of approximately US$40 million, believed to belong to Ryan James Wedding, one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. This successful seizure is the result of a collaboration between Mexican authorities and the FBI,” the agency said on social media.

« Modern versions of Escobar »

Ryan Wedding is a former snowboarder. The Canadian participated in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. Since then, he has not been talked about for sport. He is accused of running an international drug trafficking network and of having ordered assassinations. The director of the American federal police went so far as to describe him as a “modern version of Pablo Escobar or El Chapo Guzman”.

A reward of up to $15 million is being promised for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the 44-year-old former athlete. Valentino Rossi or Jorge Lorenzo will certainly be very surprised to see their motorcycle legend names involved in this story.

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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