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Colombia Nabs Top Drug Lord

US will seek to extradite Daniel Rendon

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Apr 15, 2009 2:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – Colombian police nabbed their nation's top drug lord today, and the country's president "is breathing easy," a rep told AFP. Daniel Rendon, 43, alias Don Mario, had a $2 million price on his head after allegedly swapping drugs for weapons from leftist FARC rebels. Now that he's in custody, the US will seek his extradition on drug-trafficking charges, the AP reports.

The underworld linchpin—"one of the most feared drug traffickers in the world," president Alvaro Uribe said—was captured in a raid involving 300 officers. Rendon controls 1,500 assassins and had offered his associates $1,000 for each cop they killed. He's also accused of heading right-wing paramilitary groups that have killed more than 10,000 people and stolen millions of acres of land since the 1980s.

Police officers stand next to coffins containing human remains, allegedly belonging to people killed by paramilitary fighters and rebels, in Santa Martha, Colombia. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Police officers detain an alleged drug trafficker during police operations in Cali, Colombia, over the weekend. (AP Photo/Christian Escobar Mora)

Police officers patrol a poor neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia, to fight insecurity and alleged drug gangs in town. (AP Photo/Luis Benavides)

Police officers stand on packages of cocaine in Buenaventura, Colombia's main seaport on the Pacific coast last month. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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US will seek to extradite Daniel Rendon

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US will seek to extradite Daniel Rendon

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Colombia • hitman • arrest • drug cartel • Alvaro Uribe • drug traffickers • Daniel Rendon

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

Feds Helped Mexican Drug Honcho Move Millions

Transferred cash, drugs across international borders

Pablo Escobar's Life: Now a $40 Tourist Draw

Medellin travel agency offers controversial tours on late drug lord

Feds Bust Iraqi Drug Ring in California

Authorities arrest 60, seize 4K pounds of pot, cite ties to Mexican cartel

5-Year Investigation Cripples Colombian Drug Cartel

Investigation spans three continents, leads to charges against 20 people

ICE Busts Hundreds in 168-City Gang Sweep

Half of those nabbed in multi-city raids have Mexican cartel links

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Newser By Users

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