Mexico seizes $40M in bikes tied to FBI fugitive
The FBI said Monday that Mexican authorities executing multiple search warrants this month seized an estimated $40 million collection of high-end motorcycles believed to belong to Ryan James Wedding, a Canadian ex-Olympic snowboarder on the FBI Top Ten Fugitive list for allegedly running a major cocaine-trafficking enterprise through Mexico and Southern California into Canada and U.S. locations. Wedding, convicted in 2009 for cocaine conspiracy and now accused of ordering murders including a January 2025 federal witness killing, remains at large in Mexico as the U.S. offers up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest and warns he is armed and dangerous.
đ Key Facts
- Mexican authorities executed multiple search warrants in December 2025 and seized a large number of motorcycles worth about $40 million, believed to be owned by fugitive Ryan James Wedding.
- Wedding, a 44-year-old Canadian and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic snowboarder, is on the FBI Top Ten Fugitive list and faces multiple U.S. drug-trafficking charges filed in October 2024.
- Federal prosecutors allege Wedding routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California into Canada and other U.S. locations and ordered multiple murders, including a January 2025 federal witness killing.
đ Relevant Data
In 2023, the age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine was 8.9 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic Black persons in the US, compared to 6.1 for non-Hispanic White persons and 4.2 for Hispanic persons.
Cocaine overdose death rate by race/ethnicity U.S. 1999-2022 â Statista
From 2018 to 2023, Black persons in the US experienced the largest percentage increase (96.7%) in rates of overdose deaths involving cocaine, compared to increases of 36.5% for White persons and 55.4% for American Indian/Alaska Native persons.
Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Stimulants - CDC â Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In fiscal year 2023, among individuals sentenced for drug trafficking offenses in the US, 44.4% were Hispanic, 28.5% were Black, 23.8% were White, and 3.3% were Other, compared to US population percentages of approximately 19% Hispanic, 13% Black, and 58% White.
Drug Trafficking - United States Sentencing Commission â United States Sentencing Commission
In Canada, the prevalence of past-year cocaine use among adults aged 15 and older was 2.9% in 2019, with higher rates among those aged 20-24 at 9.0%.
Cocaine - Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction â Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Cocaine trafficking from Colombia to North America is driven by economic factors, including the influx of foreign currency into Colombia's economy, with illegal drug exports estimated to contribute significantly to the country's GDP.
economic and institutional repercussions of the drug trade â MamaCoca