Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia was arrested in August in Sao Paulo, from where authorities say he operated a multibillion dollar drug ring reaching across continents.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday authorized the extradition of one of Colombia's most-wanted drug lords to the United States on condition that he not face the death sentence, a court spokesman said.
Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia was arrested in August in Sao Paulo, from where authorities say he operated a multibillion dollar drug ring reaching across continents.
In the United States, he is accused of drug trafficking and ordering the killings of 15 people.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has the final word whether to have Ramirez Abadia extradited immediately or have him face charges in Brazil on money laundering, corruption, racketeering and falsification of documents.
!ADVERTISEMENT!The court voted unanimously in favor of the extradition, provided the United States guarantees it would convert a possible death sentence into a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.
There is no capital punishment in Brazil and the maximum prison term is 30 years.
Since his arrest in a luxury home outside Sao Paulo, Ramirez Abadia had been seeking extradition to the United States because he feared for his life if returned to Colombia.
Ramirez Abadia, nicknamed Lollipop, had used plastic surgery to change his appearance and avoid being identified.
(Reporting by Fernanda Ezabela, writing by Raymond Colitt; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
