Ryan Wedding case: Mexico judge accused of accepting $2M bribe over top associate's release
A Mexican judge is accused of accepting a $2 million bribe from a top associate of Ryan Wedding, a former Olympian snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, according to the Department of Justice.
U.S. prosecutors alleged the judge took the money in exchange for the release of Wedding's second-in-command, Andrew Clark, according to the DOJ.
Clark and Wedding, two Canadian nationals, are both charged in the U.S. with drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder charges in connection with their alleged international drug ring.
The charges announced against the judge on Thursday stem from Clark's extradition proceedings following his arrest in Mexico in October 2024, the DOJ said.
Luis Benitez Alcantara, 49, who was serving as the district judge in Mexico City at the time, oversaw Clark's extradition proceedings, according to the DOJ. Clark allegedly "negotiated an agreement to pay Benitez approximately $2 million in exchange for ordering his release" and transferred the millions through intermediaries, the DOJ said in a press release.
"On February 24, 2025, the same day Benitez received the full $2 million bribe payment, he granted Clark bond and ordered him released," the DOJ said. "Days later, Clark was re‑arrested and removed to the United States, where the criminal case against him remains pending."
The superseding indictment that charges Benitez alleges he "used his official position to unlawfully secure Clark's release, enabling a major figure in an international drug organization to evade lawful detention," the DOJ said.
He has been charged with nine counts of accessory after the fact, according to the DOJ. He was arrested on Sunday in Colombia, the agency said.
The DOJ said it will request Benitez's extradition from Colombia. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on each count.
"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.
ABC News has reached out to Mexico's government and judiciary for comment on the charges and allegations.
Wedding is accused of leading a violent criminal organization that trafficked tons of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and the U.S. to Canada, according to the DOJ. He is also accused of orchestrating several murders for hire in Canada and Mexico.
The 44-year-old was on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list before his arrest in Mexico in January. He is in custody in the U.S. awaiting two separate trials scheduled to start next year on charges stemming from his alleged criminal organization.
He and Clark, 36, have pleaded not guilty to their charges.
Before starting his alleged criminal enterprise, Wedding was a professional snowboarder and competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
