Notorious Colombian drug lord extradited to New York
A notorious Colombian drug lord has been extradited to New York — and is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday on international drug trafficking charges.
Daniel Rendon-Herrera, also known as “Don Mario,” arrived in the Big Apple early Monday — nine years after he was arrested for running a drug trafficking paramilitary gang that prosecutors say shipped huge quantities of cocaine around the world and killed those who stood in its way.
“Rendon-Herrera led a major Colombian drug trafficking enterprise that imported tons of cocaine into the United States and employed hitmen who carried out acts of violence across North and South America in furtherance of the organization,” US Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement Tuesday.
The 54-year-old’s paramilitary group Los Urabenos — formerly Clan Usuga — trafficked “multi-ton shipments of cocaine” to the US, and also did a roaring local trade by taxing every kilogram of coke that made its way through the group’s territory, prosecutors allege.
The narco-terrorist outfit also employed hitmen “who committed murders,assaults, kidnappings and assassinations” to collect on debts and expand its control across Colombia and enhance it reputation, the indictment charges.