Summary Barrera was arrested in September in Venezuela and sent to Colombia.
NEW YORK (AP) - A Colombian known as "The Madman" and described as one of the largest cocaine distributors in history was brought to New York to face charges that he led a drug organization that produced hundreds of tons of cocaine annually and funneled revenue to terrorist organizations.
Daniel Barrera Barrera, 44, faces an initial court appearance Wednesday on charges that could carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison or a maximum of life in prison if he is convicted. He also faces charges in federal court in Miami.
Barrera was arrested in September in Venezuela and sent to Colombia, where the U.S. pursued his extradition.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has called Barrera "the last of the great capos." He is known to authorities in Colombia as "El Loco."
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a release that Barrera s organization produced as much as 400 tons of cocaine annually and used some of the proceeds to fund terrorist groups, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC.
Authorities said he purchased raw cocaine base or paste from the FARC and converted it into powder at laboratories he owned and operated in an area of Colombia once controlled by the since-demobilized terrorist group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC.
James Dinkins, executive assistant director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement s Homeland Security Investigations, said Barrera and his co-conspirators are accused of running one of the largest cocaine trafficking operations in history.
Authorities said Barrera laundered tens of millions of dollars of profits as he processed about 30,000 kilograms of raw cocaine into the same amount of cocaine powder each month since 1998.
He has had several cosmetic surgeries and tried to burn off his fingerprints with acid to mask his identity, authorities said. Venezuelan officials say they confiscated houses, ranches, a yacht, apartments and 48 cars from Barrera.
