Colombia extradites ELN rebel fighters to U.S. for first time

Yamit Picon Rodriguez (left), Henry Trigos Celon (centre), alleged members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), and Alexander Montoya Usuga, alias "el flaco", an alleged member of the 'Clan del Golfo' and cousin of the top leader of that organized armed group, Dario Antonio Usuga alias "Otoniel", right are escorted by the police, before being extradited to the U.S., to answer for alleged drug trafficking crimes, at an airport in an anti-narcotics base in Bogota, Colombia, August 19, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) -For the first time, Colombia on Thursday extradited two alleged members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) who are accused by a U.S. federal court of drug trafficking.

Extradition is one of the toughest tools Colombia and its allies use to try to combat the production and distribution of cocaine.