Colombian authorities, working with the United States government, this week arrested a Mexican federal judge accused of accepting a $2 million bribe to release a Canadian drug trafficker from custody.
Luis Benitez Alcantara, 49, faces a nine-count U.S. indictment accusing him of helping drug traffickers escape accountability. He remains in Colombian custody while American prosecutors work to extradite him to face trial in the United States.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Alcantara’s alleged scheme centers on the case of Andrew Clark, a 36-year-old Canadian trafficker described as the second-in-command of the Ryan Wedding Organization. That organization was run by Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder who built a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation supplying the United States and Canada, reportedly maintaining close ties to Mexican cartels while operating independently.
Mexican authorities arrested Clark in October 2024 as he faced extradition to the U.S. on charges including drug trafficking conspiracy, murder, and attempted murder. The case landed before Alcantara, who at the time served as a federal judge in Mexico City overseeing the extradition proceedings.
Prosecutors allege that once the U.S. formally launched extradition proceedings in November 2024, associates of Clark began funneling money to Mexican officials. Between November 2024 and February 2025, Clark’s associates allegedly moved $2.75 million in total, including the $2 million payment to Alcantara himself. One day after receiving that money, Alcantara allegedly ordered Clark released on bond.
The release did not hold. U.S. authorities rearrested Clark within days and ultimately secured his extradition to the United States, where he is now in custody awaiting trial.
Alcantara faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the charges against him.
Add comment