Venezuela has deported a top Colombian drug trafficking suspect to the United States, where he will face charges of shipping tons of cocaine to the U.S.
Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco was turned over Thursday to U.S. authorities at an airport in Caracas, where he was led aboard a plane.
Orozco, who also goes by the name "Valenciano," was arrested last month in central Venezuela. The United States had put out a $5 million award for information leading to his capture.
Orozco is accused of shipping tons of cocaine to the United States with the help of a Mexican drug cartel. He allegedly used legitimate companies as fronts to conceal the drug shipments.
Venezuela Extradites Drug Kingpin to US
![Venezuelan soldiers escort Colombian drug-trafficking boss Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco (R) and Gildardo de Jesús García Cardona, before being extradited to the United States, in Caracas on December 15, 2011.](https://gdb.voanews.com/1ae9b1f1-b93d-4263-b8c2-c4e1b203f713_w250_r1_s.jpg)