Mexican Federal Judge Luis Benítez Alcántara arrested in Colombia on U.S. bribery charges, Digi Mart USA News: Mexican federal judge Luis Benítez Alcántara was arrested in Colombia at the request of United States authorities on a federal charge of accepting a $2 million bribe to release a Canadian drug trafficker who was the second-in-command of former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, according to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
In a post on X, Blanche said that any corrupt public official, “wherever they are,” who assists drug traffickers operating in the United States will face justice in the United States. The U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, was arrested Sunday in Colombia.
In a second formal indictment, Benítez Alcántara faces nine counts of accessory after the fact. The United States will seek his extradition from Colombia.
The prosecutors said he was a federal district judge in Mexico City and allegedly accepted $2 million to grant bail and order the release of Wedding’s second-in-command, while that person led a multibillion-dollar transnational criminal organization and was the largest cocaine supplier to Canada.
According to the prosecutors, the accessory charges relate to helping the individual obstruct or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment. The office thanked the FBI Los Angeles, its police attaché in Bogotá, local partners and the Department of Justice for making the operation successful.
Ryan Wedding is a former Olympic athlete whom the United States has identified as the leader of an international organization engaged in cocaine trafficking and murders. According to the indictment, Benítez used his official position to illegally obtain the release of a key figure in the drug trafficking organization in order to evade legal detention.
The indictment identifies that figure as Andrew Clark, 36, a Canadian drug trafficker and second-in-command to Ryan James Wedding, 44, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who led one of the largest, most notorious and violent transnational criminal organizations. In exchange for the $2 million bribe, Benítez issued rulings that directly facilitated Clark’s release.
The prosecutors said that in October 2024, Clark was arrested in Mexico on drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges in the United States, which also involved Wedding. After his arrest, Clark appeared before Benítez, then a district judge in Mexico City, who was overseeing Clark’s extradition process.
In November 2024, the United States formally requested Clark’s extradition to be prosecuted there. Between November 2024 and February 2025, Clark transferred approximately $2.75 million, through intermediaries and in small amounts, in an effort to secure his release from Mexican custody.
During this period, Clark also negotiated an agreement to pay Benítez approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release.
According to the account, on February 24, 2025, the same day Benítez received the full bribe payment, he granted Clark bail and ordered his release. Days later, Clark was arrested again and extradited to the United States, where his criminal case remains pending.
Wedding was detained in Mexico in January 2026 and later extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody. He faces charges of drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder, and two separate trials are scheduled for March 31, 2027 and October 26, 2027.
“Corrupt public officials, wherever they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here in the United States will face justice,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “Thanks to the work of the National Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr.
Benítez will be held accountable. The Department of Justice will continue to identify and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of the American people.”
“This case underscores my office’s commitment to dismantling criminal organizations at every level, including holding accountable those who abuse positions of public trust,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
