The World : Bolivia Seizes Drug Czar Wanted in U.S.

Bolivian police seized Roberto Suarez Gomez, considered one of the top cocaine traffickers in South America. Suarez, 56, is wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges and has been called by authorities the godfather of Bolivia’s illegal cocaine trade and a major supplier of drugs to the Medellin, Colombia, drug cartel. Upon hearing news of the capture, Miami’s Chief Assistant U.S. Atty. Richard Gregorie said, “He’s the biggest cocaine producer in the world.” Gregorie also said his office would ask for Suarez’s extradition to the United States to stand trial. However, Bolivian Interior Minister Juan Carlos Duran said that Suarez will not be extradited since he has already been sentenced in absentia by a Bolivian court to 15 years in prison.