Colombian drug lord arrested

Colombian police yesterday arrested one of the country's most notorious drug lords, former Cali cocaine cartel boss Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, just four months after he was freed from prison by a controversial court ruling.

The 64-year-old crime boss, once known as "the Chess Player" for his ability to outwit the authorities, was detained in Cali on fresh charges of trafficking drugs to Tampa, Florida, in the early 1990s. He could face four to 12 years in jail if convicted.

The authorities searched frantically to find grounds to keep Rodriguez Orejuela in jail in November after his 15-year sentence was reduced to seven years for good behaviour.

The Cali cartel, run by Rodriguez Orejuela and his brother Miguel, is thought to have once controlled 80 per cent of the world supply of cocaine.