One-of-six Mercedes CLK‑GTR Roadster seized in FBI crackdown

By Atharv Misra, Anson Kam & Anlan Xu

Image from: https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/lv23/lots/r0027-2002-mercedesbenz-clk-gtr-roadster/

In Los Angeles on November 25th, 2025, an ultra-rare one-of-six Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster, currently valued at 13 million USD (the same model previously sold for ~10.235M USD), was seized by the FBI. The car was taken as part of "Operation Giant Slalom" — a multinational probe (FBI&RCMP Joint operation) targeting fugitive Ryan Wedding and his alleged cartel-linked network.

Ryan Wedding, the mastermind of the whole operation, is a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder turned fugitive. He was born in Ontario, Thunder Bay, in 1981. Wedding grew up in a family deeply involved in snow sports. His grandparents owned the Mount Baldy Ski Area, and several family members were competitive skiers or coaches. The family then moved to British Columbia when Wedding was 12. He quickly excelled at snowboarding, winning his first race and joining the Canadian National Ski Team by age 15. He competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, placing 24th overall. This experience was a letdown – the turning point in his career. Instead of trying harder, he never competed in another professional snowboarding competition. However, it was not until later in his career that he turned to crime. After the 2002 Winter Olympics, he enrolled at Simon Fraser University, intending to become an engineer, but dropped out after two years. He instead became involved in bodybuilding and worked as a nightclub bouncer. It was then that he started his criminal journey. Wedding began by growing large amounts of marijuana, which led to speculation about his real estate. In 2006, a police raid on a property related to him found a large grow-op of marijuana; however, he was not charged.

The car links FIA GT Racing heritage (more on this below) with modern narcotics purposes. So far, this ongoing probe has led to multiple arrests and over a ton of cocaine seized. It is also one of the key examples in recent events that demonstrates how illegal operations, such as drug smuggling by the cartel, fund illegally bought luxury goods tied to weddings and Sinaloa-linked operations. A potential government auction of the car could set records, as these rare “collectables” grow scarcer over time. It has been a major topic of discussion in both Canadian and US news sources; however, other countries, such as Hong Kong news sources (SCMP, etc.), haven’t reported on it. Understanding the extent of how crimes are treated in other countries and the repercussions faced, for example, being forced into hiding (like Wedding), is a strong reminder of how morality and justice should be upheld.

The FBI announced the imprisonment via Instagram, posting four photos. Three of the cars are in a hidden car park, and one lists details about the fugitive, such as his being on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted list. Relevant photos are attached below, along with the description of the Instagram post and a link to the site if you wish to visit it.