Ever Villafane Martinez represented Colombia's Norte del Valle drug cartel in dealings with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel

Mexican authorities say they have extradited a Colombian cartel operative wanted for smuggling thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States. The federal Attorney General's Office says Ever Villafane Martinez represented Colombia's Norte del Valle drug cartel in dealings with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. He escaped from a Colombian prison in 2001. Villafane is the 153rd suspect extradited from Mexico to the United States. The Attorney General's Office announced the extradition in a news release Thursday. Since taking office in 2006, President Felipe Calderon has sent a record number of top drug lords to the United States, including the alleged Gulf cartel leader, Osiel Cardenas. Ever Villafane Martinez represented Colombia's Norte del Valle drug cartel in dealings with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, the federal Attorney General's Office said in a news release. He escaped from a Colombian prison in 2001 and faces drug charges in Florida.The Attorney General's Office initially said authorities had extradited Villafane. It later sent a release saying it had started proceedings and that Villafane remains in a maximum-security prison outside Mexico City.Since taking office in 2006, President Felipe Calderon has sent a record number of top drug lords to the United States, including the alleged Gulf cartel leader, Osiel Cardenas. The government has extradited a total of 152 criminals from Mexico to the United States, the news release said.