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Mexican judge arrested in Colombia, accused by US of $2 million bribe

US prosecutors say the judge freed a Canadian tied to ex-Olympian Ryan Wedding's cocaine network, and the US will ask Colombia to extradite the judge.

12 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
Liberal2 outletsUS officials' bribery accusation against the judgeCenter4 outletsThe arrest, the payment timeline and Wedding's caseConservative6 outletsThe Justice Department's bribery case against the judge
Published 3 min read
Overview

A Mexican judge from Mexico City, Luis Benítez Alcántara, was arrested on Sunday in Colombia, the US Justice Department announced on Thursday. Prosecutors charge him on nine counts of being an accessory after the fact. They allege he accepted a $2 million bribe to free Andrew Clark, a Canadian accused of being second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada charged with leading a cocaine trafficking operation.

Benítez was overseeing Clark's extradition case after Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 on US drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges. Prosecutors say Clark sent about $2.75 million through intermediaries over several months to secure his release. According to the indictment, Benítez granted Clark bond and ordered his release on Feb. 24, 2025, the day he received the payment.

Clark was arrested again days later and sent to the United States, where his case is pending. The US will request Benítez's extradition from Colombia. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on each count.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said crooked public officials who help drug traffickers will face justice in the United States. Wedding was arrested in Mexico in January 2026 and pleaded not guilty. It was not immediately known whether Benítez has a lawyer.

Key figures
  • $2 million alleged bribe to the judge, per prosecutors — UPI
  • approximately $2.75 million sent by Clark through intermediaries, per prosecutors — UPI
  • nine counts accessory after the fact charged against Benítez — UPI
  • 15 years in prison maximum penalty on each count if convicted — Courthouse News

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

US officials' bribery accusation against the judge

The Guardian runs a wire report headlined that the US "accuses" a Mexican judge of a $2m bribe to free an accused drug trafficker allegedly linked to the ex-Olympic snowboarder. The report opens with the arrest and the allegation, which it attributes to US officials speaking on Thursday. It says Benítez was handling extradition proceedings in 2024 for Clark, who is charged in the US with helping run a billion-dollar drug group allegedly headed by Wedding.

It quotes Attorney General Todd Blanche on crooked officials who help traffickers. It then places the arrest within the wider case: it is the latest in the investigation, dozens of people have been arrested, and authorities seized drugs, weapons, cash, cars, artwork and jewelry. The report adds that Clark's attorney, Matthew Lombard, had not yet answered messages on Thursday, and that it was unclear whether Benítez has a lawyer.

Center4 outlets

The arrest, the payment timeline and Wedding's case

UPI leads with the arrest of a Mexican federal judge in Colombia over an allegedly accepted $2 million bribe, then lays out the timeline: Clark's October 2024 arrest, about $2.75 million moved through intermediaries, and bail ordered on Feb. 24, 2025. Courthouse News headlines the case as a bribe from a partner of the "Canadian Chapo," calls Clark "the Dictator," quotes Blanche and a social media post by FBI Director Kash Patel, and spends much of its report on how Wedding was arrested. It says Mexico's security chief, Omar García Harfuch, described Wedding as turning himself in, while comments by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi suggest a forcible arrest.

The Seattle Times runs a wire report that quotes Blanche and notes it was not immediately known if Benítez has a lawyer. The Journal's headline says Colombia arrested a Mexican judge tied to a gang led by an ex-Olympian.

Conservative6 outlets

The Justice Department's bribery case against the judge

Townhall's headline says the "Billion-Dollar" cocaine kingpin "Had a Judge on the Payroll, Feds Say." Its text carries Kash Patel's post and excerpts from the Justice Department release. RedState says the scheme "apparently worked, at least for a few days," and embeds Blanche's post crediting the task force and partners.

The New York Post adds quotes from the indictment and from First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli on holding accountable those who abuse positions of public trust. It also notes Wedding pleaded not guilty to 17 federal felony charges. Fox News cites the indictment for details of Clark's Guadalajara arrest and the dates of the payments.

It says that, according to a Justice Department indictment against Wedding, Clark later cooperated with the FBI. Its report quotes Patel and Blanche, including Blanche's pledge to keep dismantling transnational criminal organizations.

Official statements
All sources: 13 articles from 12 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (5)

Conservative (6)

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