Mexican judge accused in US with taking bribe in international drug case
Associated Press ·
A Mexican judge is accused of accepting a $2 million bribe in exchange for releasing a suspected Canadian drug trafficker from custody. U.S. officials announced Thursday that Luiz Benítez Alcántara was arrested Sunday in Colombia. The Department of Justice says in a statement that Benítez faces a nine-count U.S. grand jury indictment charging him with being an accessory after the fact. It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer. Officials say Benítez was overseeing extradition proceedings in Mexico in 2024 for Andrew Clark, who was charged in the U.S. with helping run a drug trafficking group allegedly headed by former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding. Officials say Benítez took the bribe in exchange for Clark’s release.