A Mexican government agency will auction 61 rare and high-performance motorcycles seized in raids linked to Canadian alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding, with the live auction set to begin the morning of Nov. 11 in Mexico City.
The FBI estimated the total value of the collection at about $40 million US after the raids last December. Bidders must register by Nov. 10, according to INDEP, the Mexican public agency that sells forfeited assets. INDEP said in a news release that the models range from the 1960s to the 2020s, with starting bids from roughly $1,600 to $192,000 Cdn., depending on the bike.
The bikes include models from Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. The FBI has said some were used in professional racing.
INDEP did not name Wedding but announced that the motorcycles were subject to forfeiture after law enforcement seized them last December. Some models pictured on the auction site match those in images the FBI shared earlier. Mexican media have also reported the link to Wedding. Proceeds from INDEP auctions typically go to fund social services.
The motorcycles were found in raids in the Mexican capital and nearby Mexico state at addresses linked to Wedding, then one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives. The FBI said at the time that the bikes were believed to be owned by Wedding and that the operation involved co-operation with Mexican authorities, the RCMP and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Mexican authorities said more than 60 motorcycles, along with medals, artwork and drugs, were seized in the December raids.
Simon Patterson, a Northern Ireland-based journalist who covers MotoGP, told CBC News last year that some of the bikes were comparable to top-level racing machines. "There are maybe 10 or 15 of them that are literally the two-wheeled equivalent of Formula 1 cars," he said.
The auction is to be held at a banquet hall in the Mexican capital and will feature 620 lots in total, including armoured vehicles, boats and aircraft. It is unclear whether any of the other goods are connected to Wedding.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on Monday when asked by CBC News whether more Wedding-linked items would be sold. The U.S. Treasury Department has said Wedding laundered his wealth through a network involving associates, businesses and luxury assets, including cars and motorcycles.
Wedding, a 45-year-old former Team Canada Olympic snowboarder, was arrested in Mexico City in January and flown to the U.S., where he remains in custody. He has pleaded not guilty to charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering and murder. He is set to stand trial in Los Angeles next year.
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