Mexican judge arrested in Colombia, accused in US of taking $2M bribe
The gist
US authorities accuse Mexican judge Luiz Benítez Alcántara of taking $2 million to free a Canadian drug suspect.
The case sits inside a probe of a $1 billion trafficking network.
How it unfolded
- 2024Benítez oversees in Mexico the extradition proceedings of Canadian Andrew Clark, accused in the US of helping run a trafficking group allegedly led by Ryan Wedding.
- 2025Benítez releases Clark after receiving a bribe, according to the US Department of Justice statement.
- Nov 2025The US Treasury Department sanctions the 'Cártel Nuevo Imperio' for providing protection to Wedding and using police contacts to locate targets for his criminal organization.
Key terms
- extradition proceedings
- Formal legal process by which one jurisdiction surrenders a person accused or convicted of a crime to another jurisdiction for prosecution or punishment.
- US Department of Justice
- Executive department of the U.S. federal government that enforces federal laws and administers justice.
- grand jury indictment
- A formal accusation that a person has committed a crime, typically issued by a grand jury.
Source: Wikipedia