Officials in the United States say a Mexican judge has been arrested on allegations that he accepted a $2-million bribe in exchange for granting bail to a man accused of acting as second-in-command to Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Luis Benitez Alcantara is accused of using his official position to secure the release of Andrew Clark, a 36-year-old Canadian man alleged to play a key role in a violent international drug trafficking ring.
U.S. officials say Benitez Alcantara, 49, was arrested on Sunday in Colombia and a request will be made for his extradition.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.
They say he was arrested on a nine-count federal indictment and, if convicted, could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for each count.
It’s alleged Benitez Alcantara, the district judge overseeing Clark’s extradition proceedings in Mexico, granted him bond and ordered his release in February of last year, on the same day he allegedly received the bribe.
Clark was arrested again days later and taken to the United States, where his criminal case is pending.
Wedding, meanwhile, was arrested in January of this year and removed to the United States to face drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges. He remains in federal custody awaiting two trials in March and October of next year.
© 2026 The Canadian Press