Criminals have always had a strange habit of collecting the things they love most, even when their lives are built on the opposite side of the law. Years ago, a raid on an unassuming white building once linked to Pablo Escobar uncovered a secret museum. Now, it was complete with rare memorabilia, most notably, a Wetbike modeled after the one Roger Moore rode in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Now, history seems to be repeating itself. This time, it involves a former Olympian-turned-international fugitive, Ryan James Wedding, a Mexican safehouse, and an eye-watering $40 million collection of motorcycles. What authorities found wasn’t just evidence of crime. Instead, it was a glimpse into an obsession rooted deep in motorsport culture.

Ryan James Wedding’s double life

This month, Mexican authorities executed multiple coordinated search warrants that led to the seizure of a staggering collection of motorcycles valued at roughly $40 million USD, believed to belong to FBI Top Ten Fugitive Ryan James Wedding.

The operation was the result of joint efforts between Mexican law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), marking a rare cross-border crackdown that blended organized crime enforcement with an unexpected motorsport twist.

What caught fans’ attention almost immediately wasn’t just the sheer value of the collection, but what was actually seized.

One motorsport follower summed it up perfectly: “It’s Márquez’s Moto2 bike and Rossi’s 125cc bike that gets me.” Those aren’t just expensive machines. They’re historic!

Marc Márquez entered Moto2 in 2011 and dominated the class en route to his 2012 championship, a stepping stone to MotoGP superstardom.

Valentino Rossi, meanwhile, burst onto the world stage as a teenager, winning the 1997 125cc world title after claiming 11 wins in 15 races. Owning those bikes isn’t casual fandom. In fact, it’s a curator-level obsession.

That contrast makes the story unsettling. Ryan James Wedding isn’t some eccentric collector with deep pockets. He’s charged with multiple federal crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and export cocaine, conspiracy to murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, among other serious allegations. Authorities allege his criminal network spanned borders, finances, and violent enforcement.

Yet, much like infamous criminals of the past who surrounded themselves with art, animals, or rare artifacts, Wedding’s motorcycle collection reveals a familiar paradox: even the darkest figures often cling to symbols of beauty, speed, and excellence.

As of now, Ryan James Wedding remains at large. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $15 million USD for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Anyone with credible tips is urged to contact the FBI via WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram at (424) 495-0614.

For motorsport fans, the bikes tell one story. For investigators, they tell another. And both have now collided in one of the strangest seizures in recent memory.

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From Olympic slopes to a life off the rails

Long before his name surfaced on the FBI’s most-wanted lists and in international drug indictments, Ryan James Wedding was known for something very different. Speed on snow. Born on September 14, 1981, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Wedding’s rise through Canada’s snowboarding ranks felt almost scripted. He won his first competitive race at just 12, cracked the national ski team by 15, and quickly built a reputation for being fearless, even reckless in the best way.

His junior résumé backed it up. Ryan James Wedding earned bronze in parallel giant slalom at the 1999 Junior World Championships, followed by silver in 2001. That same year, he claimed the Canadian national Giant Slalom title. This cemented his status as one of the country’s most promising young snowboarders. Coaches spoke about his raw aggression and willingness to attack technical courses head-on. Bobby Allison once noted that Wedding never hesitated. Instead, he pushed limits, even when the margins were razor-thin.

That aggressive style carried him to the sport’s biggest stage. At just 20 years old, Wedding represented Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, competing in men’s parallel giant slalom. He finished 24th in a stacked field. It was not a podium result, but it was enough to suggest there was more potential left untapped.

Then, just as abruptly as it began, the ascent stopped. Ryan James Wedding retired from competitive snowboarding shortly after the Olympics. He briefly attended Simon Fraser University, and for a moment, it looked like he might quietly pivot into a normal post-sport life.

Instead, his story veered sharply off course. Coming from a family of ski racers, Wedding’s athletic journey had been built on discipline and drive. That same intensity, once aimed at icy slopes and split-second turns, later resurfaced in far darker places. It, unfortunately, turned a once-promising Olympic career into a stark “what could have been” footnote in sports history.