Colombian drug lord to be extradited to U.S

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil will extradite Colombian drug lord Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia within a week to face drug and homicide charges in the United States, a senior justice ministry official said on Thursday.

Brazil decided on Abadia's extradition even though he was sentenced in April to 30 years in a Brazilian prison on drug charges.

"In Brazil he is no longer being investigated, in the United States he faces numerous investigations that can provide us with the information we want," said National Secretary of Justice Romeu Tuma. "This shows that Brazil is doing its part in combating international organized crime."

Abadia, who was arrested a year ago in Sao Paulo, would be extradited within 7 days, Tuma told Reuters.

As one of the most powerful leaders of Colombia's cocaine cartels, Abadia faces charges of homicide, drug trafficking, and money laundering in the United States, according to Brazilian authorities.

Confiscated goods that had belonged to the 44-year-old Abadia and his wife, including vintage port and a vast shoe collection, were sold at a Sao Paulo auction in April.

Investigations in the United States may reveal new drug trafficking routes as well as funds belonging to the cartel that could be confiscated by the U.S. and Brazilian governments, said Tuma.

(Reporting by Raymond Colitt, editing by Chris Wilson)