Mexican judge arrested in Bogotá: defence demands trial in Mexico, not the US
The lawyer for Luis Benítez Alcántara, a judge detained in Colombia, rejects extradition to the US and requests that he be tried by Mexican authorities.
Defence of Judge Benítez rejects extradition to the United States
The defence lawyer for Mexican judge Luis Benítez Alcántara requested on Friday that any liability of his client be determined by the Mexican State and not by the United States, which is seeking his extradition in connection with an international drug trafficking case, according to latimes.com.
"Any potential liability stemming from the exercise of his office must be determined by the Mexican State, in accordance with its legislation and before its own authorities, and not by different states as has been sought in this case," said lawyer Miguel González Sánchez in a statement.
Arrest at Bogotá airport
Benítez, 49, was detained on Sunday at Bogotá airport when attempting to board a flight back to Mexico City. The operation was carried out by Colombian police in coordination with the FBI, according to a statement from Colombian authorities.
Colombian police described the arrest as a blow to the "apparatus of legal defence and networks of institutional corruption" that, according to authorities, is used by the Sinaloa Cartel.
Clandestine meetings with criminal organisations
Colonel Elver Alfonso Sanabria, director of Criminal Investigation and Interpol Colombia, indicated that Benítez was in Bogotá allegedly for the purpose of holding clandestine meetings and coordinating with local criminal organisations the shipment of cocaine to Central America and the United States.
The Mexican official remains in Colombia awaiting the beginning of formal extradition proceedings. In the United States he faces a formal indictment from a federal grand jury on nine counts, including obstruction of justice, according to the Department of Justice.
The Andrew Clark case
The background to the case involves Canadian citizen Andrew Clark. In 2024, Benítez oversaw extradition proceedings for Clark in Mexico, who is accused in the United States of helping to run a drug trafficking network allegedly headed by former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding.
According to the Department of Justice, Benítez released Clark in 2025 after receiving a bribe. Clark was detained again days after his release and transferred to the United States, where he faces drug trafficking and murder charges.
The judge's defence rejected that version. González Sánchez asserted that Benítez "did not order the release or seek to have Andrew Clark evade justice" and contended that the judicial decision "was lawful and within the framework of legality". At the same time, the lawyer indicated that they are prepared to respond to any requests from the authorities in observance of due process and the presumption of innocence.
Disciplinary investigation in Mexico
Mexico's Court of Judicial Discipline reported the previous day that it has opened an ex officio investigation into the facts attributed to Benítez, and clarified that the judge already had four previous investigations underway for matters unrelated to the case that prompted his arrest in Colombia.
Source: Google News CO — Crime