A rare Mercedes worth $13 million has been seized amidst the hunt for a fugitive on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list.
Ryan Wedding, 44, a former Olympian snowboarder, is wanted as the suspected leader of a transnational drug trafficking network responsible for more than $1 billion in cocaine sales per year.
Wedding represented Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, but allegedly turned to crime after his sporting career came to an end.
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Officials say he works with the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico to flood US and Canadian communities with cocaine from Colombia.
As part of the ‘Giant Slalom’ operation, US authorities seized a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR worth $13 million.
The car, a legendary hypercar from the early 2000s, is one of only six ever made.
It has a 6.9-litre V12, reaches 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and tops out at 205mph.
A post about the find went viral on Tuesday (25 November) after the FBI Los Angeles announced the seizure as part of an international sting, and shared the wanted poster, as reported by Need To Know.
Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said Wedding – at 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing about 240 pounds – should stand out in Mexico.
He said: “He may change his appearance and hair colour and should not be approached because he is dangerous.
“We will find him, and we will bring him to justice.”
The Department of Justice and the FBI said they are working with the State and Treasury Departments and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to track Wedding down.
In a new indictment last week (19 November), Wedding was accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness – who was executed with five bullets to the head earlier this year – before he could testify against Wedding.
The US has raised the reward for information leading to Wedding’s capture to $15 million, with additional rewards for anyone who helps identify unknown assassins involved in the Medellín murder.
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