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.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~55~RS~)