A federal judge in Mexico has been arrested and is facing charges for allegedly accepting a $2 million bribe to grant bail to the Canadian deputy of former Olympic snowboarder and alleged drug trafficker Ryan Wedding. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges against Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, on Thursday. The charges pertain to a Feb. 2025 decision to release Andrew Clark on bail. U.S. investigators allege Clark was the second-in-command of a billion-dollar transnational criminal organization that was the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada and operated in other countries, including Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. Clark, 36, was arrested in Mexico in Oct. 2024 on U.S. drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges in which Wedding also was named. Benítez Alcántara was responsible for overseeing his extradition proceedings. U.S. authorities allege Clark negotiated a deal to pay Benítez Alcántara approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release. Clark was released on Feb. 24, 2025, the same day investigators allege the judge received the full $2 million payment. He was re-arrested days later and sent to the U.S., where charges against him are still pending. “Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the United States,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Thanks to the work of the Homeland Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr. Benítez will be held accountable. The Department of Justice will continue identifying and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of the American people.” Benítez Alcántara was arrested in Columbia on Nov. 1 and U.S. authorities say they are working to extradite him to the U.S., where he is facing nine counts of being an accessory after the fact. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 15 years in prison on each count. The charges have not yet been proven in court. Wedding was arrested in Mexico in January and remains in custody in the U.S. where he is awaiting two separate trials set to begin next year. The FBI said they worked in conjunction with multiple law enforcement agencies to lay the latest charges, including the LAPD, the RCMP, Interpol and the Columbian National Police.
