WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Colombian paramilitary leader convicted of federal cocaine trafficking charges will serve nearly seven more years in a U.S. prison before he is returned to his country.

Salvatore Mancuso was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 16 years in prison for his role in guiding more than 150 tons of cocaine to U.S. soil. But U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle gave him credit for nine years already served in the United States and Colombia.

Mancuso was extradited to the United States in 2008 along with a dozen other men who headed Colombia's powerful right-wing militias.

He once led the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a paramilitary group that protected wealthy ranchers and drug traffickers from leftist rebels. Colombian authorities blame the group for killing more than 10,000 people and moving tons of cocaine overseas.

"I am here for my mistakes, for the wrongs I did, for the pain I caused, for the suffering I provoked," Mancuso told the judge before she announced the sentence. He urged her to consider his cooperation with U.S. authorities and discussed at length the risks he took in Colombia to demobilize thousands of troops under his control.

But Huvelle said her main focus was his role in "flooding us with cocaine," and how much he has since cooperated with U.S. officials to stop the flow of drugs.

Federal prosecutors had sought a sentence of about 22 years. Mancuso's attorney, Joaquin Perez, argued the sentence should be closer to 12 years and said prosecutors weren't giving his client enough credit for his cooperation.

Mancuso has been jailed since 2006 as part of a peace pact with the Colombian government that led to the demobilization of 31,000 militia fighters.

Though Mancuso cooperated in naming dozens of Colombian politicians and businessmen who colluded with the warlords, then-Colombian president Alvaro Uribe agreed to extradite Mancuso and others in 2008 to face U.S. drug charges.

Uribe said he decided to extradite the men because many had been still overseeing criminal activity from Colombian prisons.

Mancuso pled guilty in 2008 to charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing it would be exported to the United States. His sentence was delayed while he agreed to cooperate with the U.S. and Colombian governments.

The sentence could be further reduced by up to 15 percent for good behavior. Once his U.S. sentence is completed, he is likely to be deported to Colombia, where he faces additional charges.