FBI Seizes Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Valued at $13 Million

I’ve read about some pretty crazy raids where the government swoops in and seizes all kinds of high-dollar assets, but this one might take the cake. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation is the proud new caretaker of a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster valued at $13 million. It was commandeered as part of what the FBI is calling Operation Giant Slalom, an investigation into former Olympian and current top-10 fugitive Ryan Wedding.

What the feds will do with such a car is anyone’s guess. You might remember the CLK GTR as the homologation special that enabled Mercedes and AMG to go racing at Le Mans back in the day. While images of the race car bombing down La Sarthe are burned into my brain, most of these road-going versions were squirreled away by collectors. Mercedes only made 28 of them in total, from what I can find: 20 coupes, six roadsters, and two prototypes. This being a roofless example, it’s arguably worth more than any still in existence.

Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR seized by FBI — *Federal Bureau of Investigation*

Under the CLK GTR’s lid is a mid-mounted, 6.0-liter V12 that sends power to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential. That engine was rated at just shy of 600 horsepower while spinning 7,000 rpm, which sounds glorious. Give it a listen:

Anywho, the FBI seized the CLK GTR from the Wedding organization, which involves a huge network of individuals believed to assist the Canadian former snowboarder in drug trafficking as well as money laundering. Wedding is believed to be hiding in Mexico, and Washington D.C. officials have compared him to the likes of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “He controls one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world.”

It’s reported that Wedding’s multinational operation has been responsible for $1 billion in illegal drug proceeds annually. That makes a $13 million collector car a drop in the bucket. Time will tell what the feds decide to do with the CLK GTR, but with the way everything is going, you could probably find out by watching a few white-collar crime movies to see what trope usually comes next.

Seriously. This is nuts.