Colombian drug lord jailed in US

"Hoover" smuggled more than $100 m of cocaine into the US

A leading Colombian drugs trafficker has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a New York court.

Manuel Salazar-Espinosa was convicted last year of smuggling more than $100m worth of cocaine to the United States.

He was also convicted of laundering more than $50m every month from the proceeds of his drug shipments.

Known as "Hoover", the 58-year-old was arrested in Colombia in 2005 while planning a US-bound cocaine shipment, and was extradited to the US.

His jail-term could have been longer but a condition of his extradition from Colombia meant he could not be given a life sentence.

Prosecutors described Salazar-Espinosa as one of the world's most significant international cocaine barons, smuggling drugs into the US via Panama and Mexico.

"Today's sentence puts an end to the 20-year criminal career of Hoover Salazar, one of the world's most significant cocaine kingpins," said US attorney Michael Garcia after sentencing.