Noriega flown to France to face cocaine cash charges

The former military dictator of Panama, Manuel Noriega, has been extradited to France to face money laundering charges after spending 20 years in custody in the US for drug trafficking. His Air France flight from Miami was due to touch down in Paris this morning.

Noriega - or 'Pineapple Face' as he was invariably called - was toppled in 1990 when the Americans ended years of secret backing via the CIA and invaded Panama. Noriega (pictured above in 1989) was taken to Miami and convicted not only of drug trafficking, but also racketeering and conspiracy.

During his 17 years in jail in Florida, the French convicted him in absentia of using European banks to launder money made from trading cocaine. He was said to have bought three luxury apartments in Paris on the proceeds.

His extradition order was signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton following two years of wrangling - during which the dictator remained in jail - over whether his rights as a declared prisoner of war should protect him from extradition.

His lawyers argued that he should be allowed to return home to Panama. But the case went to the US Supreme Court which rejected his final appeal in February. Two weeks ago the French were notified that Clinton would be signing his release from the US.

Noriega's lawyer in Miami, Frank Rubino, complained that he only learned of Clinton's decision from the media.

"Usually the government does things in a more professional manner and respects common courtesy and we're shocked that they didn't," he told the BBC. "I'm surprised that they didn't put a black hood over his head and drag him out in the middle of the night."

Many would say that was no less than he deserved for the brutal way he ran the central American state from 1984 - when he declared himself de facto ruler - until his downfall in 1990. He famously used the Panamanian Defence Force as a private army to operate his drug running and to deal with any opponents. Yet despite his reputation, the CIA allegedly used him to pass funds and weapons to pro-American groups in Nicaragua and El Salvador. ·