FBI Arrests Judge Over Alleged $2million Bribe To Free Associate Of Most Wanted Suspect
FBI Arrests Judge Over Alleged $2million Bribe To Free Associate Of Most Wanted Suspect
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest in a statement, accusing the Mexican judge of abusing his judicial position to protect Wedding and members of his alleged international cocaine trafficking network.
Luis Benítez Alcántara, a former district judge in Mexico City, has been arrested by United States authorities for allegedly accepting a $2million bribe to secure the release of a senior associate of former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive, Ryan Wedding.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest in a statement, accusing the Mexican judge of abusing his judicial position to protect Wedding and members of his alleged international cocaine trafficking network.
“The FBI and our partners have arrested Luis Benítez Alcántara, a Mexican judge who allegedly accepted bribes and used his position to aid former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Ryan Wedding and his associates,” the agency said.
Benítez allegedly received the $2 million in exchange for granting bail to Andrew Clark, identified by US prosecutors as Wedding’s second-in-command, and ordering his release from detention.
According to the US indictment, Clark arranged to pay the judge approximately $2 million in cash between December 2024 and January 2025. The document alleged that Benítez received the full payment on February 24, 2025, the same day he granted Clark bail and ordered his release.
Clark had been arrested in Guadalajara, Mexico, on October 8, 2024, over allegations linked to cocaine trafficking and organised crime. He was being held pending extradition to the United States when the judge allegedly intervened in his case.
Benítez has been charged with nine counts of accessory after the fact for allegedly helping Clark evade arrest, prosecution and punishment for crimes connected to Wedding’s organisation.
US prosecutors described Wedding as the leader of a billion-dollar transnational criminal organisation with operations in Colombia, Mexico and the United States. The network was also identified as the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada.
Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, was accused of overseeing the organisation’s international drug trafficking activities and links to violent crimes, including murder.
The FBI credited its Los Angeles office, its law enforcement attaché in Bogotá, local partners and the US Department of Justice for their roles in the operation.
“Thanks to @FBILosAngeles, our Bogatá Law Enforcement Attaché, our local partners, and our @TheJusticeDept who made the success of this operation possible.”
The charges against Benítez come amid an ongoing investigation into Wedding’s alleged criminal network and efforts by US authorities to prosecute individuals accused of helping the organisation operate across international borders.
