Alleged Mexican Drug 'Queen' Extradited to US

Mexico handed Sandra Avila, Mexico's highest-profile woman drug smuggler known as the 'Queen of the Pacific,' over to US authorities to face trafficking charges north of the border, August 9, 2012.

A Mexican woman accused of being a high-ranking drug trafficker has been extradited to the United States to face drug charges.

U.S. authorities took custody of Sandra Avila in the city of Toluca Thursday, and transported her to Miami, where she will appear before a federal judge on cocaine trafficking charges.

Avila, known as "the Queen of the Pacific," is accused of belonging to an organization that transported cocaine from Colombia to the United States during the 1990s. She was arrested in Mexico City in 2007, and was awaiting trial on organized crime and money laundering charges.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.