Justice Department Says Mexican Judge Took $2M Bribe to Free Ryan Wedding's Alleged No. 2

A Mexican federal judge is in custody in Colombia, accused by the U.S. Justice Department of selling a courtroom order to a cocaine trafficking network.

Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, was arrested Sunday, Nov. 1, on a nine-count indictment charging him with being an accessory after the fact. The Justice Department announced the case Thursday, Nov. 5. The charges are allegations. No court has ruled on them.

What prosecutors say happened

Benítez was a district judge in Mexico City. According to the indictment, he oversaw extradition proceedings for Andrew Clark, a Canadian citizen charged in the U.S. with drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors describe Clark as the second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who became an FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive.

Mexican authorities arrested Clark in Guadalajara on Oct. 8, 2024. He appeared before Benítez the next day. The U.S. formally requested his extradition the following month.

The Justice Department says Clark then moved roughly $2.75 million in small increments through intermediaries between November 2024 and February 2025, trying to buy his way out of Mexican custody. Prosecutors allege he also struck a deal to pay Benítez about $2 million.

On Feb. 24, 2025, the indictment says, Benítez received $2 million from those intermediaries. The same day, he granted Clark bond and ordered him released.

The release did not last

The order didn't hold. Mexican law enforcement officers arrested Clark again days later and handed him to U.S. authorities on Feb. 27, 2025. He now faces a criminal case in the United States.

According to the DOJ indictment against Wedding, Clark cooperated with the FBI after his arrest, supplying information about his own role and Wedding's in the organization. That is the government's account of his cooperation. Clark's attorney, Matthew Lombard, did not respond to messages Thursday.

It is not known whether Benítez has a lawyer. He has made no public statement that has been reported.

What officials said

"Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the United States," Attorney General Todd Blanche said. He credited the Homeland Security Task Force and international partners.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Benítez "allegedly accepted $2 million in exchange for granting bond to and ordering the release of Wedding's second in command, while Wedding was orchestrating a billion-dollar transnational criminal organization and the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada."

If convicted, Benítez faces up to 15 years in prison on each count, the Justice Department said.

The Wedding case

The Benítez arrest is the latest in a sprawling investigation. Dozens of people have been arrested in connection with the alleged network. Authorities seized large volumes of drugs, weapons and cash, plus millions of dollars in cars, motorcycles, artwork and jewelry.

Wedding competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The FBI says he used aliases including "El Jefe," "Giant" and "Public Enemy." Patel has called him "a modern-day 'El Chapo'" and said he ran his operation as a member of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Wedding was captured in Mexico in January 2026 and sent to the United States. He pleaded not guilty to murder and drug charges. He is scheduled for two separate trials, on March 31, 2027, and Oct. 26, 2027.

What comes next

Colombia has to act before Benítez sees a U.S. courtroom. U.S. officials said they will request his extradition, and that process is not quick or guaranteed.

The indictment's central allegation is that a sitting judge was paid to free a defendant the U.S. wanted, and that the payoff ran through intermediaries over several months. Prosecutors will have to prove it in court, and the bribe alleged is only part of the roughly $2.75 million Clark is said to have spent trying to get out. Benítez's response, and whether Colombia agrees to hand him over, are the next questions.