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A Mexican judge has been arrested after being accused of accepting millions of dollars to free alleged Canadian drug trafficker Ryan Wedding ‘s right-hand man from detention.

The U.S. Justice Department said in a news release Thursday that Luis Benitez Alcantara, 49, of Mexico City, was arrested last Sunday in Colombia.

Benitez, a district judge in Mexico City, is accused of accepting a $2-million bribe ($2.8 million CDN) to secure the release of Andrew Clark, a 36-year-old Canadian man who is allegedly the second-in-command to Wedding. Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 on U.S. drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges.

The judge faces nine counts of being an accessory after the fact, and U.S. officials have filed an extradition request with Colombia.

“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 in a statement .

“Thanks to the work of the Homeland Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr. Benitez will be held accountable. The Department of Justice will continue identifying and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of the American people.”

Judge presided over extradition case

According to the DOJ, Benitez was presiding over Clark’s case after the U.S. formally requested his extradition in November 2024 to face prosecution.

It is alleged that Clark transferred approximately $2.75 million ($3.85 million CDN) through intermediaries and in small increments to secure his release from custody in Mexico.

“During this period, Clark also negotiated an agreement to pay Benitez approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release,” the DOJ alleges.

On Feb. 24, 2025, after the alleged payment was made the same day, the judge granted Clark bond and ordered him released from detention.

However, Clark was re‑arrested days later and extradited to the U.S., where he awaits trial.

Could face decades in prison

If convicted, Benitez would face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on each count.

“This case underscores my office’s commitment to dismantling criminal organizations at every level, including by holding accountable those who abuse positions of public trust,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California.

Wedding, the 44-year-old former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, is accused of orchestrating a billion-dollar transnational criminal organization and the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada with connections in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S.

Wedding was apprehended in January in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. where he remains in federal custody. He faces charges including drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder, and he is scheduled for two separate trials on March 31 and Oct. 26.

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