Colombia on Thursday extradited a former paramilitary chief to the United States on drugs charges, angering the families of militia victims who say hundreds of murders and kidnappings will now go unsolved. Ever Veloza, who has admitted involvement in some 3,000 killings in the Andean country, boarded a US Drug Enforcement Administration plane amid tight security, handcuffed and wearing a bullet-proof vest, local media said.
"He was handed over to DEA agents who took him by plane to the United States so he can face a federal court," a police spokesman said. The extradition of Veloza, also known as "HH", came a day after another one of Colombias most-wanted suspects with links to paramilitaries was flown to Miami to stand trial for cocaine trafficking and money laundering.
Colombias conservative president, Alvaro Uribe, has been a loyal ally in US efforts to fight drug trafficking in the worlds No 1 cocaine producer and has sent 700 suspects to face trial in the United States since taking office in 2002. Some drug kingpins and former paramilitary leaders have continued to direct operations from their prison cells in Colombia and they fear extradition to the United States, making it one of Uribes favoured weapons in his security crackdown.
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