Reuters AlertNet Lite - Colombia would let U.S. extradite drug lord

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Colombia would let U.S. extradite drug lord

21 Aug 2007 21:43:40 GMT
Source: Reuters

BRASILIA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Colombia will not stand in the way of a U.S request for the extradition from Brazil of captured Colombian drug lord Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Ramirez Abadia, 44, was captured in a dawn raid on Aug. 7 at a luxurious mansion outside of Sao Paulo, from where authorities say he oversaw a multibillion-dollar drug ring that stretched to Europe and the United States.

Brazil's Supreme Court is studying an extradition request from the United States, where Ramirez Abadia is wanted on drug trafficking charges and in connection with the slayings of 15 people, including some police officers.

If the U.S. request is approved, Colombia would refrain from presenting a similar demand, Colombian Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo told a news conference in Brasilia.

"We will clear out the road," he said.

Ramirez Abadia has been convicted and served prison time in his native country for drug trafficking but there are a number of outstanding accusations against him.

Since his arrest, he has made it clear that he wants to be extradited to the United States. His Brazilian lawyer, Sergio Alambert, has said Ramirez Abadia fears for his life if he is sent back to Colombia.

There are legal obstacles that could bog down the extradition process. U.S. prosecutors must agree not to seek the death penalty or life imprisonment before Ramirez Abadia could be extradited as Brazilian law prohibits extraditions to countries where suspects could face life imprisonment or a death sentence.

Ramirez Abadia -- nicknamed Chupeta, or Lollipop in Colombian Spanish -- gained notoriety in the 1990s as a leader of the Cali-based Norte del Valle cartel.

He is being held at a maximum-security prison in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul until the Supreme Court rules on the extradition request.

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Last updated:Tue Aug 21 21:43:40 2007