(NewsNation) — The FBI has released images of a multimillion-dollar luxury motorcycle collection believed to belong to former Olympian and Canadian national Ryan Wedding.
Authorities said the motorcycles were seized earlier this month in Mexico as part of a joint operation involving the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Mexican authorities.
According to the FBI in Los Angeles, Mexican officials confiscated more than 60 luxury motorcycles at a value of approximately $40 million, many of them rare Ducati models.
Wedding, 44, is accused of running a large-scale transnational drug trafficking and narco-terrorism organization backed by a Mexican drug cartel. Investigators allege his network moved massive quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and Southern California, ultimately reaching Canada and other parts of the United States.
In addition to the motorcycles, authorities say the raids uncovered artwork, narcotics and two Olympic medals, though officials have not confirmed who the medals belong to.
Wedding competed for Canada in the giant slalom snowboarding event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City but did not medal. In recent years, investigators say he went from a relatively obscure athlete to an alleged global drug kingpin with high-level ties to the cartel.
Officials believe Wedding is hiding in Mexico under cartel protection and may have altered his appearance, possibly through facial surgery, to evade capture. At one point, investigators estimate Wedding’s organization was moving as much as 60 tons of cocaine through Los Angeles each year.
Law enforcement operations connected to the case have resulted in more than 35 indictments, the seizure of more than 2,000 kilograms of drugs, numerous weapons, $3.2 million in cryptocurrency, and more than $13 million in physical assets — but Wedding remains at large.
The State Department is now offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Wedding’s arrest or conviction. The reward was increased from $10 million just weeks ago. Wedding was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March.
Last month, authorities arrested 10 defendants as part of “Operation Giant Slalom,” a joint investigation named after the Olympic event in which Wedding once competed. Prosecutors allege those suspects were involved in the murder of a federal witness in a narcotics case tied to Wedding after he allegedly placed a bounty on the witness.
Wedding, who was born in Thunder Bay, Canada, has used multiple aliases, including “El Jefe,” “Giant,” “Public Enemy,” “James Conrad King” and “Jesse King.”