CARACAS, Venezuela, April 12 (UPI) -- Venezuelan officials decided Tuesday to extradite to Colombia a reputed rebel leader wanted on drug charges, El Nacional newspaper reported in its online edition.
Jose Martinez Veja was arrested in February by Venezuela and kept in custody until the Venezuelan Public Ministry could decide his fate.
Colombia has accused Veja of being a leader in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the nation's largest rebel group, and of orchestrating the sale of large quantities of narcotics and purchase of arms.
The Colombian government and the FARC have been locked in a civil war for 41 years.
The decision to extradite Veja to Colombia was viewed with surprise, considering the recent row between the neighboring countries over the FARC.
Earlier this year Colombia paid Venezuelan police to abduct a FARC leader living in Caracas.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the move a "violation of Venezuela's sovereignty" and temporarily cut economic and diplomatic ties. Colombia has accused Chavez of supporting, and even arming, the rebel force, an assertion the Venezuelan president has denied.
