Reuters AlertNet Lite - US wants Mexico drug lord Arellano Felix extradited

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US wants Mexico drug lord Arellano Felix extradited

10 May 2007 20:09:43 GMT
Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY, May 10 (Reuters) - The United States has requested the extradition of jailed Mexican drug lord Benjamin Arellano Felix so he can be tried in California on trafficking charges, his lawyer said on Thursday.

One of the last captured Mexican drug barons yet to be tried in the United States, he ran the brutal Tijuana-based Arellano Felix cartel with his brother Ramon from the late 1980s until Ramon's death in a shootout with police in 2002 and Benjamin's arrest shortly afterward.

His lawyer, Americo Delgado, told Reuters that Arellano Felix was notified on Wednesday of the extradition request from a federal court in San Diego. He plans to submit an appeal next week, the lawyer said.

Mexico extradited 15 jailed drug traffickers to the United States in January, including Osiel Cardenas, accused of running the powerful Gulf Cartel, and Hector "El Guero" Palma, a senior member of the Sinaloa cartel.

Last month, a Mexican judge sentenced Benjamin Arellano Felix to five years in prison for arms possession, but he faces more time for outstanding charges such as organized crime activities and drug smuggling.

President Felipe Calderon has sent out thousands of troops to tackle Mexico's violent drug cartels, which were behind some 2,000 gangland-style killings last year, but the increased firepower has failed to contain the violence, including a recent wave of attacks on senior police officers.

Drug gang-related deaths number some 800 so far this year.

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Last updated:Thu May 10 20:11:44 2007