Mexico seizes Olympic medals, motorcycles in raids seemingly linked to hunt for Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding

Mexican authorities say they've seized motorcycles, Olympic medals and drugs in a series of raids — a move seemingly linked to the hunt for Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding.

The operation amounts to the most significant series of moves publicly acknowledged by Mexico that appear to be in connection with the manhunt for the alleged cartel-linked drug lord. 

The government’s statement didn’t identify Wedding by name, but said the raids targeted a foreign former Olympian listed among U.S. authorities’ most wanted fugitives. 

Only Wedding — who was born in Thunder Bay, Ont., and competed in snowboarding at the 2002 Olympic Games in Utah — fits the bill. Mexican media also named the 44-year-old as the target of the operation.

The statement from Mexico's security secretariat said four properties were raided in Mexico City and the nearby state of Mexico, a region that includes some of the capital's suburbs. The operation involved multiple agencies, including Mexico's navy, national guard and federal agents from the attorney general’s office, the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR). 

Mexican authorities said items seized included:

Who the medals belong to isn't clear. Wedding finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom event in 2002 and did not return to the Olympics. 

U.S. authorities and the RCMP have said Wedding later turned to a life of crime and built a billion-dollar drug-smuggling empire linked to dozens of murders. He’s believed to be hiding in Mexico.

The U.S. is offering a reward of up to $15 million US for information leading to Wedding’s capture. 

The U.S. Treasury Department recently said Wedding uses luxury cars, motorcycles, properties, front companies and cryptocurrency as part of a “complex web” of assets to shield his vast wealth.

Last month, the FBI in Miami seized an ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster, estimated to be worth $13 million. A CBC News investigation found the car had been purchased by Rolan Sokolovski, a Toronto jeweller identified by U.S. authorities as one of Wedding’s chief money launderers.

U.S. investigators have also previously hinted at Wedding’s possible connection to the Mexican capital and the nearby state of Mexico. 

The FBI told CBC in August that it had launched a social media campaign focused on the capital’s suburbs in central Mexico, seeking to elicit tips on Wedding’s hideout. 

"We believe that there are potentially people in that area who have information about his whereabouts," FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller said at the time.