Mexican Judge Arrested in Colombia Over Alleged $2m Bribe to Free Canadian Drug Lord
A Mexican judge, Luis Alcántara, has been arrested in Colombia over allegations that he accepted a $2 million bribe to grant bail and secure the release of a Canadian drug trafficker wanted by the United States.
Alcántara faces a second superseding indictment containing nine counts of being an accessory after the fact over his alleged role in helping Canadian national Andrew Clark evade prosecution.
Clark, 36, was identified by U.S. authorities as the second-in-command of an international criminal organisation allegedly headed by Ryan Wedding, 44, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder accused of leading one of the world’s largest and most violent transnational criminal networks.
Clark was arrested in Mexico in October 2024 over U.S. charges bordering on murder, attempted murder and drug trafficking. The United States subsequently submitted a formal extradition request in November 2024.
However, prosecutors allege that on February 24, 2025, Alcántara received the full $2 million bribe and, on the same day, granted Clark bail and ordered his release.
Clark was rearrested in Mexico days later and subsequently transferred to the United States to face prosecution.
Following investigations into the alleged bribery arrangement, Alcántara was arrested in Colombia on November 1, 2026.
The United States is now seeking his extradition to face the charges.
If convicted, the judge faces a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on each of the nine counts. The charges relate to allegations that he assisted Clark in evading apprehension, trial or punishment.
