[B]BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN)[/B] -- The Colombian government sent 14 suspected paramilitary leaders to the United States on drug charges Tuesday after authorities said they violated a 2003 deal with the government.
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Rodrigo Tovar was one of 14 accused drug traffickers to be extradited Tuesday morning.
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"This morning, a group of citizens were extradited," President Alvaro Uribe said in a nationally televised address Tuesday. "Some of them had relapsed into their crimes ... others weren't cooperating with justice, and all had failed to compensate their victims."
Authorities say the men were members of the outlawed United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, an organization that the United States regards as one of the most powerful drug trafficking rings in the world and has labeled a terrorist organization.
The men boarded a plane around 6:45 a.m. to face charges in Washington, Florida, New York and Texas.