Mexican judge arrested in Colombia over alleged $2 million bribe
Luis Benítez Alcántara faces nine U.S. counts tied to the release of Canadian Andrew Clark; prosecutors say they will seek his extradition from Colombia.
Mexican judge Luis Benítez Alcántara was arrested in Colombia on Sunday, November 1, and faces nine U.S. counts tied to an alleged $2 million bribe to release Canadian Andrew Clark, according to Reuters and the U.S. Justice Department. The department announced the arrest on November 5, 2026, and says it will request Benítez Alcántara’s extradition. The indictment is an accusation; Benítez Alcántara is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The 49-year-old was arrested under a second superseding indictment charging him with being an accessory after the fact. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison on each count, the Justice Department said. Reuters reported that Benítez Alcántara and Mexico’s Federal Criminal Justice Center could not immediately be reached for comment, and the center had not immediately responded to a request.
How prosecutors say Andrew Clark was released
Clark, 36, was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 on U.S. drug-trafficking, murder and attempted-murder charges, the Justice Department said. He appeared before Benítez Alcántara, then a district judge overseeing Clark’s extradition proceedings. The United States had formally requested Clark’s extradition in November 2024, according to the department.
Prosecutors allege that from November 2024 through February 2025, Clark transferred about $2.75 million through intermediaries and in small installments to secure his release. They say he negotiated to pay Benítez Alcántara about $2 million in exchange for an order releasing him. On February 24, 2025, the day the judge allegedly received the full $2 million, he granted Clark bond and ordered his release, according to the indictment and Reuters.
Clark was rearrested days later and taken to the United States, where his criminal case remains pending, the Justice Department and Reuters reported. The alleged bribe did not end the U.S. case against him.
Ryan Wedding’s cases remain pending
U.S. authorities describe Clark as second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder. The Justice Department says Wedding was arrested in Mexico in January 2026, taken to the United States and remains in federal custody facing drug-trafficking, murder and attempted-murder charges. His two trials are scheduled for March 31 and October 26, 2027, the department said.
The FBI investigated the case with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with help from U.S. and Colombian law-enforcement partners, the Justice Department said. Colombia’s response to the U.S. extradition request for Benítez Alcántara was not established in the reports.
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Sources and context
- US says Mexican judge arrested in Colombia over $2 million bribe to free accused Canadian drug traffickerReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Leads to Mexican Federal Judge’s Arrest on U.S. Charges of Accepting $2 Million Bribe to Free Canadian Drug Trafficker Charged with Ryan WeddingU.S. Department of Justice
- Mexican judge arrested on allegations he accepted bribe to release Ryan Wedding’s right-hand manGlobal News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.