Colombia: Good Deal for The Dealers

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Christmas seemed to come early in Colombia last week as one of the country's most wanted drug lords turned himself in at a church 14 miles south of Medellin. Fabio ("Fabito") Ochoa Vasquez, 33, was the first chieftain of the so-called Medellin cartel to surrender under the terms of a decree announced by President Cesar Gaviria Trujillo last week. Ochoa is wanted in the U.S. for masterminding the 1986 slaying of federal witness Adler (Barry) Seal in Baton Rouge, La. He is also linked to drug-trafficking activities with former Panamanian leader Manuel Antonio Noriega.

The government expects 200 to 300 drug lords to take advantage of Gaviria's offer before Dec. 25. U.S. officials were less than jubilant. Under the terms of the decree, drug dealers are immune from extradition to the U.S. and not required to confess all their crimes. Depending on the Colombian courts, Ochoa could wind up serving less than 20 months in jail and possibly even go free.