texas-moody

Venezuela asks for extradition of drug trafficking suspect linked to killing of journalist

  • By
  • August 24, 2010

By Ingrid Bachmann

The Venezuelan Supreme Court approved the request to seek extradition of Walid Makled, alleged Venezuelan drug dealer arrested in Colombia last week, reported the Associated Press. Makled is considered the mastermind behind the 2009 killing of journalist Orel Sambrano, according to El Universal.

Sambrano was the director for Radio América in Valencia, and police believe his death was in retaliation for reporting about drug dealing.

Organizations like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders welcomed news of Makled's arrest.

Sambrano era el director de Radio América en Valencia y la policía cree que el homicidio fue en represalia por denuncias sobre narcotráfico hechas por el periodista.

Organizaciones como el Comité para la Protección de Periodistas (CPJ) y Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF), saludaron la detención de Makled.

Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.