Mexican authorities will soon auction off a collection of high-performance motorcycles that appear to have been seized from former Olympic snowboarder and alleged gangster Ryan Wedding. Mexico’s Instituto para Devolver al Pueblo lo Robado—abbreviated INDEP and roughly translated as the institute for returning stolen goods to the public—will hold the auction involving the 61 motorcycles next week. INDEP’s news release about the motorcycle collection does not mention Wedding’s name, but it says the vehicles were seized last December and are subject to civil forfeiture. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a social media post that month that Mexican authorities had seized motorcycles worth approximately US$40 million that were “believed to be owned” by Wedding. Multiple motorcycles pictured in the FBI’s post match those now listed on INDEP’s auction site. Mexican media have also reported the connection between Wedding and the motorcycles now for sale. CTV News has reached out to INDEP and the FBI for more information. The bureau referred questions to the U.S. Treasury Department, and INDEP has not yet responded to the inquiry. Wedding surrendered to authorities in Mexico City in January of this year. He has since pleaded not guilty to U.S. charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export cocaine, leading a criminal enterprise, murder and attempted murder. A snowboarder who competed for Canada in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Wedding is accused of leading a transnational drug trafficking group that shipped narcotics from Colombia, through Mexico and into the United States. He was on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list before his arrest. The motorcycles on offer next week include classic and competition bikes from the 1960s through the 2020s, according to INDEP. Brands including Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha are part of the collection, and starting bids range from 21,500 to more than 2.5 million pesos (approximately C$1,600 to C$186,000). The auction is scheduled to take place in Mexico City on Nov. 11 and 12. Those who wish to participate must register by Nov. 10.
