LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Mexican judge was arrested in Colombia on a nine-count U.S. indictment charging him with taking a $2 million bribe to free a Canadian drug trafficker who served as second-in-command to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding, the Justice Department announced.
Read the U.S. Department of Justice release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/homeland-security-task-force-investigation-leads-mexican-federal-judges-arrest-us
The Arrest, The Charges, The Extradition
Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, was arrested on Sunday in Colombia, the Justice Department stated.
Benítez is charged in a second superseding indictment with nine counts of being an accessory after the fact, the department stated.
The United States will request Benítez's extradition from Colombia, the department stated.
If convicted, Benítez would face a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on each count, the release stated.
The superseding indictment was returned on September 4, according to the release.
The Bribe, The Release, The Re-Arrest
Andrew Clark, 36, a Canadian drug trafficker, served as second-in-command to Wedding, 44, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada who led a transnational cocaine trafficking organization, the release stated.
Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 on U.S. drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges in which Wedding was also named, the release stated.
Benítez was the district judge in Mexico City responsible for overseeing Clark's extradition proceedings, the release stated.
The United States formally requested Clark's extradition in November 2024, according to the release.
From November 2024 through February 2025, Clark transferred approximately $2.75 million through intermediaries and in small increments for the purpose of securing his release from Mexican custody, the release stated.
During that period, Clark also negotiated an agreement to pay Benítez approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release, the release stated.
On February 24, 2025, the same day Benítez received the full $2 million bribe payment, he granted Clark bond and ordered him released, the release stated.
Clark was re-arrested days later and removed to the United States, where the criminal case against him remains pending, the release stated.
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The Organization, The Fugitive, The Trials
Wedding was one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives at the time, the release stated.
Wedding was apprehended in Mexico in January 2026 and removed to the United States, where he remains in federal custody, the release stated.
Wedding faces drug-trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges and is scheduled for two separate trials on March 31, 2027, and October 26, 2027, the release stated.
"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. "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."
"The FBI and our partners have arrested Luis Benítez Alcántara, a Mexican judge who allegedly accepted bribes and used his position to aid former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan Wedding and his associates," FBI Director Kash Patel said.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
, The Investigation, The Task Force
The FBI investigated the matter with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Federal Policing, the release stated.
Assistance was also provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Colombian law enforcement partners, including the Colombian National Police, the release stated.
The Justice Department's Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá and Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Colombia to secure the arrest, the release stated.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi Allsop and Joshua J. Lee of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case, the release stated.
The investigation, arrest and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, the release stated.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, the release stated.
Sources
U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, "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," November 5, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/homeland-security-task-force-investigation-leads-mexican-federal-judges-arrest-us
Transparency notes
Published: Nov 5, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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