You already know you have bought a enjoyable one in your fingers when an FBI press launch opens with the road, “Ten defendants have been arrested – and 11 complete are in custody – pursuant to a nine-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed at the moment charging a former Olympic snowboarder now on the FBI’s Ten Most Needed Fugitives Record, a Canadian felony barrister, a reggaeton musician, a would-be gangland information web site operator, and others in reference to the January 31 homicide in Colombia of a federal witness in a separate felony case.” And boy, will we. As a result of that case additionally entails the FBI seizing an ultra-rare and costly 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster.
On Fb this week, the FBI’s Los Angeles division posted 4 (objectively horrible) images of the automotive, saying, “As a part of the Big Slalom investigative developments introduced final week involving FBI Prime Ten Fugitive, Ryan Marriage ceremony, and his associates, a uncommon 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR valued at $13 million was seized by the FBI.” Why the images appear to be one thing you would possibly by accident take in case you dropped your telephone on the ground near the automotive, I do not know, however contemplating the FBI posted them on Fb, it is no less than becoming.
Nonetheless, that Mercedes is not any random Fb Market itemizing. Solely 28 CLK GTR highway automobiles have been ever constructed, solely six of which have been convertibles, and that is one in all them. Is it value precisely $13 million just like the FBI claims? Who’s to say till it sells, however they’re in all probability not far off. It isn’t like they arrive up on the market all that usually, however a 2002 CLK GTR Roadster bought in 2023 for somewhat greater than $10 million. In fact, we additionally do not know whether or not it’ll survive lengthy sufficient for the FBI to public sale it off, because you simply know Kash Patel is headed there proper now within the FBI jet, hoping to take it for a spin together with his nation singer girlfriend.
From hitting the slopes to hitting the slopes
So, who is that this Ryan Marriage ceremony, who by some means went from Olympic snowboarding to turning into a (now former) CLK GTR proprietor and one of the vital needed males on the planet? In line with NBC Information, Marriage ceremony was born in Thunder Bay, a small metropolis in Ontario, Canada, that Wikipedia’s checklist of notable folks tells me additionally gave us Edgar Laprade, Elizabeth Smellie, and Elsie MacGill. He was additionally a proficient sufficient skier to compete with Group Canada within the 2002 Salt Lake Metropolis Olympics in parallel big slalom, however he did not medal and even come shut, as a substitute ending twenty fourth.
Six years later, in 2008, Marriage ceremony was arrested for attempting to purchase cocaine from an undercover FBI agent and was ultimately discovered responsible of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He solely acquired a 48-month sentence, although, and was launched in December 2011 after the choose allowed him to rely time served. As soon as he was launched, Marriage ceremony reportedly went proper again to a lifetime of crime and shortly grew to become the largest cocaine supplier in Canada:
In Wednesday’s unsealed indictment, legislation enforcement detailed how Marriage ceremony’s group, working with members of Mexican drug cartels, allegedly used boats and planes to maneuver tons of of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. The group then started utilizing semitrucks to smuggle the medicine throughout the border from Mexico to its “hub” in Southern California, the indictment mentioned. The cocaine would then be transported to Canada and different states, federal officers mentioned.
On the Wednesday information convention, Legal professional Common Pam Bondi mentioned Marriage ceremony’s group is liable for importing about 60 metric tons of cocaine a yr into Los Angeles.
“He controls one of the vital prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations on this world,” she mentioned. “He’s at the moment the most important distributor of cocaine in Canada.”
Marriage ceremony is at the moment charged with homicide, witness tampering and intimidation, cash laundering and drug trafficking and is believed to be hiding in Mexico, so he in all probability wasn’t driving his CLK GTR a lot earlier than its seizure. Which actually is a disgrace. What is the level of turning into a global drug kingpin if you aren’t getting to drive your ultra-rare, street-legal race automobiles?
