A federal district judge in Mexico City was indicted in the United States after he was accused of taking a $2 million bribe to help a drug trafficking suspect secure release, prosecutors said. The judge, Luis Benitez Alcantara, was arrested in Colombia and is now awaiting extradition proceedings to the U.S. The suspect who was released after the alleged payment was re-arrested days later and then extradited to the United States. U.S. prosecutors allege the judge agreed with the suspect’s side to accept $2 million in exchange for release. They say the payment was received on February 24, 2025, and that he granted bail and ordered the suspect released the same day. Prosecutors also say the same suspect transferred about $2.75 million through intermediaries for his release between November 2024 and February 2025. U.S. prosecutors had officially requested the suspect’s extradition in November 2024. The defendant, Andrew Clark, was facing drug trafficking, murder, and attempted murder charges in Mexico. He was re-arrested just days after being released on bail, and was subsequently extradited to the U.S. U.S. investigators describe Clark as a key figure in an international cocaine ring. The case links Clark to an organisation led by Ryan James Wedding, who is considered the head of a cocaine network connecting Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Colombia. The U.S. Department of Justice said it has brought nine charges against Judge Benitez under U.S. law for allegedly helping a criminal evade justice, with each count carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years. Attorney General Todd Blanche said corrupt public officials who assist drug traffickers operating within the U.S. will be tried in the U.S. regardless of where they operate. Trial dates for Wedding were set for March 31 and October 26, 2027, and Judge Benitez has not yet been convicted.