A Colombian rebel leader captured last year during the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt Friday pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking in US federal court, according to dpa. Gerardo Aguilar, also known as "Cesar" and a member of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC ), arrived Thursday in the US in the custody of agents of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Also present in the courtroom was one of three Americans, Marc Gonsalves, who were among the 15 hostages released in a bold operation last year to free Betancourt, a one-time Colombian presidential candidate. Prosecutor Eric Snyder attempted to include kidnapping in the narco-trafficking case. But defence attorney Carmen Hernandez objected, noting that the extradition order granted by the Colombian Supreme Court specified that "Cesar" could only be tried in the United States for drug trafficking. The kidnapping - a crime for which extradition had also been requested - happened on Colombian soil, and Aguilar should therefore face trial for that charge in Colombia, the Colombian court ordered, dpa reported.
