Son to testify against drug baron

Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela's son allegedly kept the business running

The son of one of Colombia's most notorious drug-traffickers has agreed a deal with United States prosecutors to testify against his own father.

William Rodriguez Abadia will give evidence against Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela and his uncle Gilberto at a trial later this year.

The Rodriguez Orejuela brothers were the joint bosses of Colombia's Cali drugs cartel.

They were extradited to the US in 2004 and 2005.

The brothers are being held in solitary confinement in the Miami Federal Detention Center and will go on trial in September.

The US authorities believe they have controlled about 80% of the global cocaine trade in the 1990s.

Illegal assets

William Rodriguez Abadia, 40, surrendered earlier this year to US agents in Panama.

He had been in hiding since 2001 and was accused of keeping the Cali cartel business running after his father and uncle were jailed in Colombia.

Under the deal, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one cocaine-smuggling charge and agreed to hand over millions of dollars in illegal assets.

He is expected to be sentenced at a later date.

US prosecutors said the deal would greatly improve their case against the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers.

During the 1990s, the Cali drugs cartel was the richest and most powerful crime syndicate in the world, making profits of up to $8bn a year.