Ryan Wedding’s Drug Trafficker Motorcycles Up for Auction: MotoGP Bikes Ridden by Rossi and Marquez Among Them

Grand Prix motorcycles ridden on track by Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo are about to go under the hammer. They don’t come from a museum or just any private collection: they were part of the garage of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who became one of the FBI’s most wanted drug traffickers. The sale is scheduled for November 11, with bids starting at around $1,600.

The collection comprises 61 motorcycles in total, including models from Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. The star attraction is the group of racing bikes: according to Crash.net, between 10 and 15 are believed to be MotoGP prototypes or bikes built to WorldSBK specifications. The total value of the lot runs into tens of millions of dollars, making the announced starting price all the more surprising. That is, if the motorcycles catalogued by the authorities are authentic. The suspicion stems from the auction price, which is incredibly low if the items on offer are of this calibre.

The sale will be handled by INDEP, the Mexican institute tasked with returning assets obtained illegally to the people. The motorcycles were found in December 2025 during raids in Mexico City and the neighbouring State of Mexico, at properties linked to Wedding, who at the time was still among the most wanted fugitives in the United States.

Wedding’s story sounds like the plot of a film. US authorities accuse him of running a cocaine trafficking operation linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as conspiracy and involvement in several drug-related murders, including the killing of a federal witness. A $15 million reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

After years on the run, the former athlete was arrested in Mexico and transferred to the United States in January 2026 to face federal charges. According to the FBI, his capture was made possible through cooperation with Mexican authorities.

The contrast is striking: on one hand, motorcycles that have shaped the recent history of Grand Prix racing and Superbike; on the other, a starting price of just over a thousand euros. It remains to be seen which bikes will be offered at that price and how high collectors’ and enthusiasts’ bids will go. The answer will come on November 11, when the memorabilia that ended up in the drug trafficker’s garage changes hands.

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Photo: FBI/CBC