The lifetime of a former Olympian might be fairly candy. Even for those who by no means medal, merely making it to the Video games is usually sufficient to safe a snug post-athletic profession. You possibly can transfer anyplace on the planet, cost premium charges to coach the subsequent technology of opponents, or make a dwelling teaching rich amateurs who simply need to brag that they discovered from an Olympian. Loads of former athletes parlay their second on the world stage into many years of regular work.
Take Jonny Moseley, for instance. Jonny truly grew up in the identical city as me, although he’s a couple of years older. After bringing dwelling gold from Nagano, he proceeded to carve out a profitable profession as an MTV host, a online game narrator, a radio persona, and a sturdy media determine practically 30 years after his Olympic run.
Here is one other enjoyable truth about Jonny: My buddy labored at a pizza parlor Jonny frequented proper across the time of his Olympic win. With out fail, each time he got here in to eat, some patron would ask to see his gold medal. They most likely assumed he didn’t have the medal on him, as a result of who would months later… however guess what? Jonny would proceed to supply the gold medal from his pocket. Why? Jonny carried the medal in his pocket for effectively over a yr after he gained as a result of individuals had been continually asking to see it and… why the hell not present them with a thrill? Fairly rad transfer. However I digress.
Canadian former Olympian Ryan Marriage ceremony has loved a barely completely different trajectory within the years since he competed on the 2002 Winter Video games in Salt Lake Metropolis. As a substitute of selecting up endorsements or transitioning into broadcasting, U.S. federal prosecutors allege he reinvented himself as one of the prolific cocaine traffickers on Earth.
How prolific?
Investigators have in contrast the size of his operation to the empires as soon as run by El Chapo and Pablo Escobar, claiming Marriage ceremony oversaw a billion-dollar narcotics pipeline that moved staggering portions of cocaine from Colombia by Mexico and into the U.S. and Canada.
And this week, federal brokers made a very eye-popping transfer: they seized an ultra-rare 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster value an estimated $13 million:
As a part of the Large 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.
Marriage ceremony wished poster: https://t.co/PCwWjFU578 pic.twitter.com/aBBfVbbUfS
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) November 25, 2025
The automotive seized by federal brokers is a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster, a mannequin so uncommon many collectors will go their whole lives with out seeing one in individual. Mercedes initially constructed the CLK-GTR to fulfill FIA homologation guidelines for GT1 racing, which required a tiny variety of road-legal variations to be produced. The corporate made 20 coupes and a good smaller batch of Roadsters. Solely six had been ever constructed, making the Roadster one of many scarcest manufacturing supercars in trendy automotive historical past. When one in every of these automobiles does come to market, bidding usually begins in eight figures.
In keeping with investigators, the CLK-GTR Roadster seized this week was bought utilizing illicit proceeds tied to Marriage ceremony’s alleged drug empire. Authorities say the car was a part of a broader sample by which Marriage ceremony and his associates transformed narcotics earnings into high-value property that might be hidden, transferred, or traded outdoors of conventional banking programs. Because the investigation expanded, the automotive’s possession path helped prosecutors join a number of shell corporations, money-handling intermediaries, and people who allegedly helped Marriage ceremony transfer cocaine earnings throughout borders.
The car is now in federal custody, and except the courts decide it was unlawfully seized or unconnected to felony exercise, it is going to seemingly be forfeited and ultimately auctioned by the federal government. If that occurs, it might turn out to be one of the costly automobiles ever bought by a law-enforcement forfeiture course of.
From Olympian To Kingpin
Ryan Marriage ceremony grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in a rich household with deep roots in winter sports activities. His grandparents owned the Mount Baldy ski resort overlooking Lake Superior, and it was there that he first discovered to snowboard. By his late teenagers he had turn out to be one in every of Canada’s high younger riders, specializing within the parallel large slalom, a self-discipline that requires technical precision and actual timing. His outcomes on the World Cup circuit earned him a spot on Canada’s Olympic crew, and in 2002 he represented the nation on the Winter Video games in Salt Lake Metropolis.
Marriage ceremony competed within the males’s parallel large slalom and positioned twenty fourth. The end did not deliver fame or sponsorships, and after the Video games he continued competing for a brief interval earlier than quietly retiring from skilled snowboarding. What adopted was a interval federal investigators would later describe because the turning level in his life. In keeping with courtroom information, Marriage ceremony’s first main brush with felony exercise got here in 2008, when he and two associates traveled to San Diego to buy cocaine. The vendor turned out to be working with the FBI. Marriage ceremony was arrested, convicted in 2009, and sentenced in 2010. Throughout his sentencing listening to, he apologized to the courtroom and mentioned the pursuit of “straightforward cash” had lured him into making “silly and irresponsible selections,” including, “I suppose I misplaced my approach.” Believing he confirmed real regret, the choose imposed a lighter sentence. With credit score for time served, Marriage ceremony was launched from federal jail in December 2011.
Prosecutors say his remorse was short-lived. After his launch, investigators allege Marriage ceremony started constructing a large-scale narcotics enterprise working between British Columbia, Southern California, and Mexico. Federal indictments describe him because the architect of a drug pipeline that used long-haul semitrucks, stash homes in Los Angeles, maritime routes from Colombia, and distribution hubs throughout western Canada. The group allegedly laundered its proceeds by shell corporations, crypto channels, couriers, and luxurious property. In keeping with officers, Marriage ceremony’s position grew to the purpose the place he earned the nicknames “El Jefe,” “Public Enemy,” and “Large,” with investigators evaluating the size of his operation to the empires as soon as run by El Chapo and Pablo Escobar.
At a current press convention asserting new fees, former Florida Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi mentioned Marriage ceremony’s community was chargeable for importing roughly 60 metric tons of cocaine per yr into Los Angeles alone, producing greater than $1 billion in annual income. Prosecutors additional allege that Marriage ceremony maintained his management by violence and intimidation, ordering hits on rival traffickers and placing a multimillion-dollar bounty on a federal witness who was making ready to testify in opposition to him. That witness was later murdered in Medellín, Colombia. Further indictments accuse Marriage ceremony of directing a Canadian-based murderer crew, orchestrating a number of retaliatory killings, and utilizing a now-defunct Canadian web site to assist find his targets.
Authorities say a number of shut associates helped allow his rise. His spouse, Miryam Andrea Castillo Moreno, is accused of laundering cash and aiding with acts of violence. His alleged safety chief, Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado — often known as “The Normal” — is believed to be a former Mexican regulation enforcement officer who offers safety and intelligence. And a Canadian lawyer, Deepak Balwant Paradkar, is accused of facilitating bribery, connecting Marriage ceremony to traffickers, and even advising on homicide plots. Paradkar was arrested this week.
By the point U.S. and Canadian businesses unraveled the complete construction of the operation, investigators described Marriage ceremony as one of the prolific and violent cocaine distributors on the planet. These findings in the end positioned him on the FBI’s Ten Most Wished checklist, triggered sweeping sanctions, and set off the multinational crackdown that led to the seizure of his $13 million Mercedes.
The Manhunt Continues
Regardless of the sweeping arrests and the seizure of high-value property just like the $13 million Mercedes, Ryan Marriage ceremony stays at massive. Federal officers imagine he’s hiding someplace in Mexico, protected by cartel associates and shielded by a close-knit community of loyal intermediaries. The State Division has posted a $15 million reward for data resulting in his seize — one of many largest fugitive rewards ever supplied in North America. Investigators say Marriage ceremony incessantly adjustments areas, makes use of intermediaries to speak, and should alter his look, however they continue to be assured the partitions round him are closing in.
