Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin linked to Mexican judge in $2M bribe scandal: cops

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A district judge in Mexico has been arrested for allegedly accepting a $2 million payment to let the right-hand man of the ex-Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin, Ryan Wedding, go free.

Luis Benítez Alcántara, 49, of Mexico City, was arrested on Sunday in Columbia on a nine-count federal indictment accusing him of being an accessory after the fact, according to the Department of Justice on Thursday.

Authorities accused Benitez of accepting a $2 million bribe in exchange for granting Canadian drug trafficker Andrew Clark, 36, bond and ordering his release.

Clark was the second-in-command to Wedding, who’s in federal custody, charged with leading a transnational cocaine trafficking operation and with murder and attempted murder, the DOJ said.

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

“Thanks to the work of the Homeland Security Task Force and our international law enforcement partners, Mr. Benítez will be held accountable.”

In October 2024, Clark was arrested in Mexico on U.S. murder, attempted murder, and drug trafficking charges in which Wedding also was named, per the DOJ.

After he was arrested, Clark appeared before Benítez, who was overseeing his extradition proceedings. In November 2024, the US requested Clark’s extradition to face prosecution in the United States. 

Between November 2024 and February 2025, Clark allegedly transferred close to $3 million, “through intermediaries and in small increments, for the purpose of securing his release from Mexican custody,” officials said.

Authorities said—during this same period—Clark allegedly negotiated a deal to pay Benítez approximately $2 million for his release.

“On or about February 24, 2025, the same day that he received the full $2 million-bribe payment, defendant Benitez granted Clark bond and ordered him released,” the indictment read.

“Benitez, knowing that an offense against the United States had been committed…received, relieved, comforted and assisted the offender, Clark, in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial and punishment,”  according to the indictment.

Days after Clark was released, he was re‑arrested and taken to the United States where he still is facing criminal charges, per the DOJ.

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said the case underscores his office’s “commitment to dismantling criminal organizations at every level, including by holding accountable those who abuse positions of public trust.”

The United States will request the judge be expedited from Columbia to face charges. If convicted, Benitez would face a maximum sentence of  15 years in federal prison on each count.

In January, Wedding, who competed for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, pleaded not guilty to 17 federal felony charges including drug trafficking, witness tampering and conspiracy to commit murder.

The 45-year-old, whose alleged aliases include “El Jefe” and “Public Enemy,” was arrested in Mexico, 10 months after being added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List.

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