Colombian drug suspect extradited to U.S.

WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- Reputed Colombian drug lord Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera was extradited to the United States Wednesday to face federal trafficking charges, U.S. officials said.

Mejia-Munera, accused of running the "Los Mellizos," or "the Twins," drug-trafficking organization with his brother Victor, had been indicted in Washington in 2004. Victor Mejia-Munera was killed last April in a gun battle with the Colombian military.

Miguel Mejia-Munera also allegedly was a leader of a Colombian right-wing paramilitary group called Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, which has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. He also faced charges in Colombia.

According to the U.S. indictment, Mejia-Munera and his organization were responsible for exporting thousands of pounds of cocaine from Colombia to Central America, Mexico and the United States from January 1994 to January 2004.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin said in a statement that his arrival in the United States "sends a message that neither the United States nor Colombia will tolerate this kind of criminal activity."

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart lauded the Colombian national police for its "valiant efforts" in the case.

If convicted, Mejia-Munera faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.