Rebels indicted as global drug lords

WASHINGTON - Fifty leaders of a Colombian rebel group have been charged with importing more than US$25 billion ($40.65 billion) of cocaine into the US and other countries.

"This is the largest narcotics trafficking indictment ever filed in US history and fuels our hope to reduce narco-violence in Colombia and stem the tide of illegal drugs entering our country," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said.

The indictment names the leadership of the FARC, a group the US has designated as terrorist, saying it controls 50 per cent of the world's cocaine

Gonzales said three of the leaders are in custody in Colombia and the US is seeking their extradition.

- REUTERS