Togo sends 'drug smuggler' to US

Drug smugglers are using West Africa as a staging post to Europe

The Togolese government has agreed to extradite a suspected Colombian drug kingpin to the United States.

Solano Cortez Jorge was arrested in October last year, along with seven other South Americans.

The Togolese Anti-Drugs and Narcotics squad said they seized 500kg of cocaine during the raid.

West Africa has become a major staging post for South American drug traffickers on the route to Europe, according to the United Nations.

The BBC's Ebow Godwin in Lome says Mr Cortez has not appeared in court since his arrest and he has not commented on the allegations.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency requested that Mr Cortez be extradited to the US to face charges there.

He is accused of being a senior member of a Colombian drug smuggling gang and is wanted in several countries.

The Togolese authorities said they believed the gang was going to fly the drugs into Europe from an airport in northern Togo.