A New York court has sentenced former Colombian drug kingpin Alberto Orlandez Gamboa to 40 years in prison for heading a cartel that smuggled large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
Authorities announced the sentence Thursday, for the 49-year-old Orlandez Gamboa, who once boasted of being among Colombia's top 10 drug lords. The former kingpin, who was extradited to the United States several years ago, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
Officials say Orlandez Gamboa led an organization of about a dozen large-scale traffickers in Barranquilla, Colombia, who smuggled tons of cocaine into the United States and other countries.
Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer. Most of the cocaine produced there is shipped to the United States.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters.