A Mexican judge accused of taking a $2 million bribe to free a top lieutenant of alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Colombia.
Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, was taken into custody Sunday on a nine-count federal indictment, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. He stands accused of acting as an accessory after the fact for granting bond and ordering the release of Canadian drug trafficker Andrew Clark, 36, who served as second-in-command to Wedding’s alleged transnational cocaine operation.
The bribe scheme unfolded across months of extradition proceedings after Clark’s initial arrest in Mexico in October 2024 on U.S. Charges of murder, attempted murder, and drug trafficking, with Wedding also named in the case. When the United States requested Clark’s extradition that November, Benítez was the judge overseeing the process.
Between November 2024 and February 2025, Clark allegedly moved nearly $3 million through intermediaries in small increments to secure his freedom, authorities said. Of that sum, approximately $2 million was negotiated as a direct payment to Benítez.
“On or about February 24, the same day that he received the full $2 million-bribe payment, defendant Benitez granted Clark bond and ordered him released,” the indictment stated.
The judge’s freedom lasted only days. Clark was quickly re-arrested and transferred to the United States, where he remains in custody facing criminal charges.
Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the cross-border nature of the prosecution in a statement Thursday.
“Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the United States,” he said.
Blanche added: “Thanks to the work of the Homeland Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr. Benítez will be held accountable.”
The indictment alleges Benítez knew a U.S. Offense had been committed when he “received, relieved, comforted and assisted the offender, Clark, in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial and punishment.”
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli framed the arrest as part of a broader strategy against organized crime.
“The case underscores our office’s commitment to dismantling criminal organizations at every level,” he said, “including by holding accountable those who abuse positions of public trust.”
Wedding, the 45-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, has become the central figure in one of the more unusual narco-trafficking cases in recent years. Known by alleged aliases including “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy,” he was arrested in Mexico after spending 10 months on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.
In January, Wedding pleaded not guilty to 17 federal felony charges including drug trafficking, witness tampering and conspiracy to commit murder. He remains in federal custody awaiting trial.
The United States will seek Benítez’s expedited transfer from Colombia to face charges. If convicted, the judge faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on each of the nine counts.