Mexican Judge Arrested in Colombia Over Alleged $2 Million Bribe to Free Ryan Wedding Associate

A Mexican federal judge was arrested in Colombia on Nov. 1 after U.S. prosecutors accused him of accepting $2 million to free a Canadian defendant wanted on drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, faces nine counts of being an accessory after the fact in the Central District of California. The Justice Department said it will seek his extradition from Colombia. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if he is convicted.

Benítez was a district judge in Mexico City overseeing extradition proceedings for Andrew Clark, whom prosecutors describe as the second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder accused of leading an international cocaine trafficking operation. Mexican authorities arrested Clark in October 2024, and the United States requested his extradition the following month.

Prosecutors allege that Clark transferred about $2.75 million through intermediaries between November 2024 and February 2025 in an effort to secure his release. They say Benítez agreed to accept about $2 million and granted Clark bond and ordered his release on Feb. 24, 2025, the same day he allegedly received the full payment.

Authorities rearrested Clark days later and transferred him to the United States, where his case remains pending. Wedding was apprehended in Mexico in January 2026 and remains in U.S. federal custody. He faces drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges, with two trials scheduled for March 31 and Oct. 26, 2027, according to the Justice Department.

The FBI investigated with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation. The Justice Department said its officials in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure Benítez’s arrest.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.