A Mexican judge accused of taking a US$2 million bribe was arrested at El Dorado Airport in Bogota after a nine-count federal indictment. Luis Benitez Alcantara, 49, was accused of using his official position to secure the release of Canadian drug trafficker Ryan Wedding Clark, then second-in-command of a transnational cocaine trafficking operation. The indictment alleges the judge traded rulings for payment, including bail and orders that led to Clark’s release. Prosecutors say the judge’s decisions directly facilitated Clark evading lawful detention, in exchange for about US$2 million. Clark had appeared before Benitez Alcantara after being arrested in Mexico on US charges involving drug trafficking, murder and attempted murder. Between November 2024 and February 2025, Clark transferred about US$2.75 million through intermediaries in small amounts to secure his release from Mexican custody. The indictment says the judge received the full bribe payment on February 24, 2025, and granted Clark bail and ordered his release the same day. Clark was later arrested again and extradited to the United States, where his criminal case remains pending. The indictment also names Ryan James Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder, who was among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives. Wedding was arrested in Mexico in January 2026 and later extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody with trials scheduled for March 31, 2027 and October 26, 2027. If convicted, Benitez Alcantara faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for each count. The FBI investigated with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Federal Police, with help from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Colombian National Police investigators, Interpol, and other partners. Benitez Alcantara is being sought for extradition from Colombia to the United States.