And unprecedented seizure brought to light one of the most large private collections Of racing motorcycle never identified, with iconic pieces from the MotoGP belonging to some of the greatest champions of recent decades. The Mexican authorities they have in fact seized dozens of motorcycles with an estimated value of around 40 million dollarsall attributable to Ryan James Weddingone of the ten most wanted fugitives fromFBIbut also a former snowboard Olympian.
The operation was confirmed by the same FBI Of Los Angeleswho through a press release explained how several were carried out in Mexico over the last month mandates of search. The action is the result of one international collaboration which involved Mexican authorities, the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Los Angeles Police Department. The budget is impressive: over 50 Grand Prix motorcycles and other means from competitionkept in a garage.
Among the recovered motorcycles are authentic jewels of the history of world motorcycling. Several appear in the collection Ducati MotoGP driven in the past by Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, Loris Capirossi e Andrea Iannonein addition to the Moto2 with which Marc Marquez won the world title in 2012 and aAprilia 125 with which Rossi won the eighth of a liter championship. A sporting heritage of enormous value, which also attracted the attention of experts of the MotoGP memorabilia market, a rapidly growing sector but rarely associated with figures of this magnitude.
Wedding’s name is at the heart of an investigation Of wide scope. Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, he participated in the Winter games from 2002 to Salt Lake Citybut according to the United States Department of Justice it would have become the top of a vast criminal organization dedicated to international drug trafficking. The charges against him include conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine, money laundering and homocide. Wedding is accused of ordering the killing of a witness key in a drug case.
The FBI reiterated that one is planned reward until 15 million dollars for anyone who provides information useful for the arrest or conviction of the fugitive, who according to the US authorities is currently in Mexico. The seizure of the motorbikes represents a symbolic blow to his criminal empire, while revealing the dark side of the sports collecting elite.
