"Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Colombian and U.S. [law enforcement], Barrera’s criminal career is over," said DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart. "He now faces charges that may bring him a life behind bars."

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that Barrera had "operated at the center of a truly evil web."

"This was truly cocaine with blood in its background," said Bharara.

Barrera’s career as a drug smuggler dates back to the 1980s, and he is believed to have shipped thousands of tons of cocaine north, often in cooperation with the leftist guerrillas of Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC. FARC has been the world's largest supplier of cocaine and has engaged in bombings, massacres and kidnappings inside Colombia. FARC guerrillas allegedly provided Barrera with raw materials and charged him a monthly tax for establishing drug labs in their territory.

Barrera was convicted on drug charges in Colombia in 1990 but escaped. After his escape, he used public telephones instead of cell phones to avoid surveillance by law enforcement.

By the time he was caught by Venezuelan law enforcement last fall, authorities said he accumulated multiple dwellings, a yacht and 48 automobiles. The Venezuelans handed him over to the Colombians after his arrest.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced his capture on live television, saying, “We have caught the last of the great lords,” and thanked British and American authorities for their help.

“In the fight against drug trafficking, this is a very important and final step,” Santos said.