COLOMBIA EXTRADITES CALI DRUG KINGS' REPUTED CRONY

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian authorities on Thursday extradited a suspected
Venezuelan drug trafficker who could be the key to Washington's attempt to
try Colombia's undisputed cocaine kings, the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers,
in a U.S. court.

Fernando Jose Flores, 38, nicknamed the Fat Man, is the second alleged drug
smuggler extradited this week. He is accused of shipping more than 3-1/2
tons of cocaine to Florida, packed in concrete fence posts.

He was reputedly a crony of the Rodriguez Orejuelas, who have been serving
time in a Bogota prison since their capture in mid-1995.

Flores has said he fears U.S. officials will force him to give evidence
against the Rodriguezes, former kingpins of the notorious Cali drug mob who
were once blamed for 80 percent of the world's cocaine traffic.

Colombia banned the extradition of Colombian citizens in 1991 after Pablo
Escobar, then capo of the Medellin cartel, waged a bloody campaign of
bombings, murders and kidnappings. Escobar was killed in 1993 during a
shootout with police on a Medellin rooftop.

Under intense U.S. pressure, Colombia's Congress lifted the ban in December
1997, but the measure only covers crimes committed after that date.

First Extradition Since 1990

No Colombian had been sent abroad for trial since 1990 until Sunday's
extradition of suspected heroin trafficker Jaime Orlando Lara, 30.

The extradition of foreign nationals was never suspended. But after Flores'
capture in August 1998, he argued that he was a Colombian citizen and his
crimes were committed before the resumption of the extradition treaty with
the United States.

Flores was bundled aboard a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration jet at a
Bogota police airport after extensive medical checks. Just 5 foot 6 inches
tall but weighing some 308 pounds (140 kg), Flores has heart problems.

Under the gaze of scores of heavily armed police officers, he crossed the
runway with tubes from a small oxygen canister in his nose to help him
breathe. He was not handcuffed, but police officers gripped his arms.

Neither Flores nor police chiefs made any statement at the airport. But in
an interview published this week by Semana, a leading magazine, Flores
voiced fears about his imminent extradition.

"With threats, psychological torture ... I will sign whatever (U.S.
officials) put in front of me so that they get what they want -- the
extradition of the Rodriguezes," he said.

Request Was Rejected In 1996

Colombia rejected an extradition request for the Rodriguezes in mid-1996.
U.S. authorities, however, say that the two men have continued to run their
criminal empire from behind bars and could be liable for extradition for
acts committed after December 1997.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Bogota said he was not aware that any
fresh request for the Rodriguezes was pending.

Both men were convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to terms that
could see them freed from Bogota's top security La Picota prison in less
than 10 years. If ever tried in the United States, the Rodriguezes could
expect much stiffer sentences, possibly even multiple life terms.

Colombian authorities have warned that the resumption of extradition ties
with the United States could spark a violent backlash by the country's drug
mobs.

Two weeks ago, seven people were killed by a car bomb in northern Bogota in
an attack that police blamed on either drug traffickers or Marxist
guerrillas. There have, however, been no attacks since then.

President Andres Pastrana has strengthened ties with the United States
since he took office in August 1998. The U.S. Congress is expected to give
approval early next year to moves to boost mainly military and anti-drug
aid to Colombia to some $1.5 billion over three years.

Up to 50 people, including Fabio Ochoa, a former henchman to Pablo Escobar,
are on a list of alleged drug traffickers who could be extradited soon.