Panama Extradites Alleged Colombia Drug Lord to the U.S.

On January 14, 2004, Panamanian authorities extradited Arcangel de Jesus Henao Montoya, an alleged Colombian drug lord and one of its most suspected cocaine traffickers to the U.S. on charges of smuggling large amounts of cocaine in recent years. A joint Panamanian-U.S. law enforcement operation arrested him only the week before in a remote and lawless region of Panama. In fact his arrest occurred on January 10. On January 14, 2003, U.S. authorities flew him to the U.S. on a Justice Department plane. After his transfer to the U.S., he was taken to New York for arraignment. U.S. authorities said Mr. Henao was a leader of the Norte del Valle cocaine cartel and had hired right-wing paramilitary gunmen to protect drug routes through which cocaine was transported to the U.S ... [more]