BRIEF: Leader of Colombian Cartel is Extradited to the United States

The "Norte Valle Cartel" is Colombia's most powerful cartel and has allegedly exported more than 500 metric tons of cocain to the United States.  This amount of cocaine is worth more than $10 billion dollars and usually passed through Mexico en route to the US.  Juan Carlos Ramirez-Abada, better known as "Chupeta" seemed to be at the heart of it all, controlling a large portion of these exports.

Ramirez-Abadia led a group of hundreds to carry out these exports.  Various offices manufactures, exported, bribed, and transported for the cartel.  Gunmen were also hired to kill and torture under his direction.

Ramirez-Abadia was arrested in Brazil last August.  He was sentenced in Brazil to serve 30 years in prison but has now been transferred to the United States.  He will face charges in New York as well as federal charges in Washington, D.C.  These charges include murder, drug-trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering.

For more information, please see:

Media-newswire - Cocaine Cartel Laader to Face Charges in the United States - 26 August 2008

Colombia Reports - Brazil extradites 'Chupeta' - 22 August 2008