FBI seizes ‘exceptionally rare’ US$13-million Mercedes-Benz allegedly linked to Ryan Wedding

CTV’s Kamil Karamali has the latest on the former Olympian Ryan Wedding being accused of running a drug trafficking ring and ordering dozens of murders.

A US$13-million Mercedes-Benz hypercar allegedly linked to Ryan Wedding, the Canadian former Olympian accused of running a billion-dollar-a-year international drug empire, has been seized.

The FBI announced the seizure of a 2002 CLK-GTR in a post on social media. According to a 2023 Sotheby’s auction of a similar car, only six of the open-top CLK-GTR variants were ever made, meaning the roadster is “exceptionally rare.”

The car was seized by FBI agents in Los Angeles, where U.S. officials allege Wedding established a hub for his drug-trafficking network, which used planes, boats and long-haul, semi-trucks to transport tons of cocaine each year from Colombia, through Mexico, and onto the streets of the U.S. and Canada.

It’s unclear if the car belonged to Wedding himself — who’s listed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list — or another member of his alleged criminal network.

The CLK-GTR debuted at the 1997 FIA GT Championship and as part of race rules, Mercedes was required to produce a minimum of 25 “homologation” specials, a street-legal variant of the race car.

As such, the German automaker produced 28 Straßenversion (street version) CLK-GTRs, including 20 coupes, two prototypes, and six roadsters, according to the 2023 Sotheby’s auction. An archived spec sheet for the coupe version of the vehicle states that it could reach 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds with a max speed of 320 km/h.

• READ MORE: ‘If you kill this witness, the case would be dismissed:’ GTA lawyer accused in murder plot linked to Ryan Wedding

“As extremely rare open versions of the marque’s FIA GT Championship-winning late 1990s supercar, the CLK GTR Roadster may be regarded as the pinnacle of the model’s production, cementing the car’s status as the apogee of twentieth-century sports car design,” the auction website states.

According to an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice last week, Wedding’s financiers, who allegedly served as de facto banks for the enterprise’s drug proceeds, obfuscated the source of the funds by investing in high-value items, such as luxury cars, watches, jewelry, vehicles, and artwork.

Wedding is accused of ordering several murders in furtherance of his alleged drug empire, including at least four in Ontario and one in Colombia. U.S. authorities say the victim in the Colombia murder was a cooperating witness. Wedding’s lawyer, Deepak Paradkar, allegedly advised him that if the witness was killed, the case would be dismissed.

• READ MORE: Law society begins proceedings to suspend licence of lawyer implicated in Ryan Wedding’s alleged cocaine ring

The 44-year-old Canadian is believed to be living in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa Cartel. The reward for information leading to Wedding’s arrest has been increased from US$10 to $15 million.

Officials have warned that Wedding is extremely dangerous. Court documents have suggested he still has access to a “network” of hitmen and is willing to “continue to order murders” to avoid capture.