U.S. Indicts Mexican Judge For Alleged $2 Million Bribe In Drug Case

A Mexican federal judge has been indicted in the United States and arrested in Colombia on accusations that he took $2 million in bribes to free a Canadian drug suspect from extradition proceedings in Mexico, U.S. prosecutors said.^[1]

Judge Luiz Benítez Alcántara was detained in Colombia on Sunday, November 1, and is charged in a nine-count U.S. indictment as an accessory after the fact, with the Justice Department saying it will seek his extradition to face trial in an American court.^[1] Attorney General Todd Blanche said officials who help drug traffickers evade justice "will face justice in the United States," casting the case as part of a broader push against corruption in foreign judiciaries that shields major narcotics networks.

The charges stem from 2024 extradition proceedings in Mexico, when Benítez allegedly accepted $2 million to order the release of Canadian national Andrew Clark, who was then wanted by U.S. authorities. Clark is now in U.S. custody and faces drug trafficking and murder counts linked to what prosecutors describe as a billion-dollar operation run by former Olympic athlete Ryan Wedding, who has been accused of using his international connections to move large quantities of narcotics.^[1]

U.S. officials say the alleged payoff to Benítez was intended to derail the American case against Clark by exploiting vulnerabilities in Mexico's extradition courts, a tactic investigators contend is common among high-level traffickers seeking to stay out of U.S. prisons. They argue that securing Benítez's extradition from Colombia would send a warning that judges who accept cartel money can be prosecuted abroad if they help shield suspects tied to major U.S. drug and violence cases.

1. CBS News