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A Mexican judge has been arrested in Colombia over allegations that he accepted a US$2 million bribe to release a suspected drug trafficker linked to an international cocaine trafficking network.
Luiz Benítez Alcántara, 49, was arrested on Sunday and faces a nine-count indictment in the United States. According to the US Department of Justice, the charges include acting as an accessory after the fact in connection with an alleged multinational criminal operation.
Investigators allege that Benítez was overseeing extradition proceedings in Mexico involving Canadian national Andrew Clark, who was accused of helping operate a drug trafficking organisation allegedly led by former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding.
The judge reportedly accepted the bribe in exchange for releasing Clark from custody in 2025. Clark had been detained during extradition proceedings in 2024 over charges brought against him in the United States.
Following his release, Clark was reportedly arrested again days later and transferred to the United States, where he faces drug trafficking and murder charges.
US authorities have indicated that they intend to request Benítez's extradition from Colombia. Officials said he had travelled there for personal reasons before his arrest. It was not immediately clear whether he had secured legal representation.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche said public officials who assist international drug traffickers would face prosecution regardless of where they operate.
The arrest forms part of a wider investigation into a criminal network allegedly controlled by Wedding, who became one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted fugitives.
Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder, is accused of overseeing a cocaine distribution operation transporting drugs from Latin America into the United States and Canada. He was arrested in Mexico earlier this year before being transferred to California, where he pleaded not guilty to murder and drug trafficking charges.
According to US investigators, the organisation moved cocaine from Mexico to Los Angeles, where the drugs were stored in hidden locations before being transported to Canada using commercial long-haul trucks.
Clark is alleged to have served as the network's second-in-command. Both he and Wedding have been accused of ordering killings connected to the drug trade.
The investigation has resulted in dozens of arrests and significant seizures of drugs, weapons and cash. Authorities have also confiscated valuable assets, including luxury vehicles, motorcycles, artwork and jewellery worth millions of dollars.
The latest arrest highlights concerns about alleged corruption within institutions responsible for administering justice and combating organised crime.
