COLOMBIAN MAY BE EXTRADITED TO U.S.

BOGOTA, Colombia - An alleged drug boss accused of shipping heroin to U.S.
cities could be the first Colombian extradited to the United States under a
year-old law, police said Monday.

The suspect, Jaime "Jimmy" Orlando Lara, was arrested in Bogota on
Saturday. He is accused of heading a heroin distribution ring with outlets
in Houston, Miami and New York.

A December 1997 law restored extradition of Colombian citizens for trial
abroad. The country's 1991 Constitution, enshrined during a bloody war with
the Medellin drug cartel, had prohibited it.

The new law is not retroactive, however, meaning Colombians can only be
extradited for crimes committed after its enactment.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski