Former Cali Cartel boss Phanor Arizabaleta will be extradited to the U.S. in the coming days after Colombia’s Supreme Court authorized the request, El Espectador reported Wednesday.
Arizabaleta’s extradition was sought by the Southern District Court of Florida for his alleged role in several drug shipments to the U.S. through various Central American routes.
The ex-kingpin of the notorious but now-defunct cartel, who is considered to have been the fifth in command, surrendered himself to Colombian authorities back in 1995 and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Despite a failed escape attempt in 1997, Arizabaleta was released in 2008 with deteriorating health, having served the majority of his sentence, reports Europa Press.
Arizabaleta professed to have dedicated himself to the various farms that he owned but at the time of his rearrest on September 16, 2010, he was suspected of continuing his criminal activities by establishing a narco-trafficking partnership with the Serna brothers, the top bosses of “Los Rastrojos.”
Upon his re-arrest he reportedly had a nervous breakdown and recently attempted to expedite the extradition process, citing increased health problems, while seeking assurances of receiving proper medical care from U.S. authorities.