US Charges Mexican Judge in $2M Bribery Case Linked to Ryan Wedding

A Mexican judge faces US criminal charges over an alleged $2 million bribery arrangement involving the release of a Canadian drug trafficking suspect connected to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. US authorities announced the case on Thursday, November 5, 2026, following the judge's arrest in Colombia.

According to the US Department of Justice, Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, allegedly accepted payments through intermediaries to release Canadian citizen Clark, who was facing extradition proceedings in Mexico. Benítez has been charged in a nine-count indictment with being an accessory after the fact.

US officials intend to seek his extradition from Colombia. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison if he is convicted.

The indictment provides a detailed account of the alleged financial arrangement. Clark reportedly began transferring approximately $2.75 million to intermediaries in November 2024, over a period of four months.

On February 24, 2025, Benítez allegedly received $2 million through those intermediaries. According to the indictment, he granted Clark bond and ordered his release on the same day.

Clark had initially been arrested in Guadalajara on October 8, 2024, before appearing before Benítez the following day for extradition proceedings. Mexican law enforcement officers apprehended him again several days after his release and transferred him to US authorities on February 27, 2025.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the prosecution would target officials accused of helping international criminal organizations.

"Crooked public officials, no matter where they are, who assist drug traffickers operating here at home will face justice in the United States," said Blanche.

Blanche also credited cooperation between American agencies and international law enforcement partners for Benítez's arrest.

"Thanks to the work of the Homeland Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr. Benítez will be held accountable. The Department of Justice will continue identifying and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of the American people," Blanche said.

The investigation also centers on Wedding, a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who competed at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. American prosecutors accuse him of leading a billion-dollar international cocaine trafficking operation with connections across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the alleged organization and its impact on North American communities.

"Benítez Alcántara was a district judge in Mexico City who allegedly accepted $2 million in exchange for granting bond to and ordering the release of Wedding’s second in command, while Wedding was orchestrating a billion-dollar transnational criminal organization and the largest supplier of cocaine to Canada with connections in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S.," Patel said.

Patel also addressed the wider criminal network following Wedding's arrest in January 2026.

"This individual and his organization and the Sinaloa cartel poured narcotics into the streets of North America and killed too many of our youth and corrupted too many of our citizens. And that ends today," Patel said.

The FBI has described Wedding as a modern-day "El Chapo," comparing him to Joaquín Guzmán, the former leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel who is serving a life sentence in the United States. Authorities allege Wedding's organization operated in cooperation with the cartel.

Wedding was arrested in Mexico in January 2026 and transferred to California. He pleaded not guilty to federal charges involving murder, cocaine distribution, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise.

According to US prosecutors, the alleged network moved cocaine from Colombia through Mexico into North America and was also connected to several killings involving informants and associates. Investigators have arrested dozens of people and seized drugs, weapons, cash, vehicles, motorcycles, artwork, and jewelry worth millions of dollars.

Clark also faces US charges involving drug trafficking, murder, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and participation in a continuing criminal enterprise. His attorney, Matthew Lombard, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.