Colombian authorities arrested a Mexican judge who oversaw the extradition case of a major cartel drug trafficker on U.S. charges that he accepted a $2 million bribe to set the individual free.
The Justice Department announced on Thursday that Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, was arrested on Sunday, and that Washington will ask Colombia to extradite him.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the United States.”
The man Benítez freed is Andrew Clark, 36, a Canadian trafficker prosecutors call the second-in-command to Ryan James Wedding, 44, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder accused of running one of the largest and most violent cocaine organizations in the world.
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. Benítez Alcántara was a district judge in Mexico City who 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 with connections in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S. Benítez Alcántara is charged with nine counts of accessory after the fact for assisting the individual in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment. Thanks to @FBILosAngeles, our Bogatá Law Enforcement Attaché, our local partners, and our @TheJusticeDept who made the success of this operation possible.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) November 5, 2026
Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 on U.S. drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges, and his extradition case landed in front of Benítez, then the Mexico City district judge responsible for overseeing the proceedings.
From a DOJ press release:
According to the superseding indictment returned on Sept. 4, Benítez used his official position to unlawfully secure Clark’s release, enabling a major figure in an international drug organization to evade lawful detention. In return for the $2 million bribe payment, Benítez issued rulings that directly facilitated the release from custody of Andrew Clark, 36, a Canadian drug trafficker and second-in-command to Ryan James Wedding, 44, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada who led one of the biggest, most notorious, and violent transnational criminal organizations.
In October 2024, Clark was arrested in Mexico on U.S. drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges in which Wedding also was named. Following his arrest, Clark appeared before Benítez, then serving as the district judge in Mexico City responsible for overseeing Clark’s extradition proceedings.
In November 2024, the United States formally requested Clark’s extradition to face prosecution in the United States. 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. During this period, Clark also negotiated an agreement to pay Benítez approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release.
On Feb. 24, 2025, the same day Benítez received the full $2 million bribe payment, he granted Clark bond and ordered him released. Days later, Clark was re‑arrested and removed to the United States, where the criminal case against him remains pending.
Wedding, who, at the time, was one of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was apprehended in Mexico in January 2026 and subsequently, removed to the United States, where he remains in federal custody. He faces drug‑trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges and is currently scheduled for two separate trials on March 31, 2027, and Oct. 26, 2027.
Wedding pleaded not guilty shortly after his arrest.
