RULING OKS EXTRADITION OF DRUG SUSPECT TO U.S.

Mexico's Supreme Court ruled Thursday night that a Mexican citizen charged
as a cocaine kingpin in a U.S. court could be extradited to California, a
precedent-setting decision long sought by American authorities.

The case of Arturo Paez Martinez, charged in a federal indictment in San
Diego with smuggling more than 2,200 pounds of cocaine into the United
States, was seen on both sides of the border as a test of Mexico's
willingness to extradite alleged drug traffickers to face American justice.