Colombian drug lord jailed

Diego Murillo, a leader of a Colombian right-wing paramilitary group, has been jailed for 31 years by a New York court for drug trafficking.



Murillo’s organisation is accused of shipping large quantities of cocaine into the United States.



While admitting his wrongdoing, Murillo told the court that he sold drugs to help his combatants.



The court ordered him to pay US$4 million in fines.



Prosecutors led evidence that he had led a terrorist organisation and controlled a cocaine exporting empire.



Murillo was taken into custody in Colombia in 2005 and extradited to the US three years later.