One of the five most wanted drug lords of Colombia has been captured in the city of Medellin, capital of the northwestern department of Antioquia on Thursday, police said on Friday.

Jose Aldemar Rendon Ramirez is one of the leaders of the Norte del Valle cartel based in southwest Colombia, and the authorities had offered a 5 million US dollar reward for information leading to his arrest.

The United States Drug-Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Rendon was responsible for at least 30 percent of the cocaine arriving in the United States and the New York District Court had asked for his extradition in 2003.

According to the DEA, since 1990, Rendon's cartel has shipped to the United States 500 tons of cocaine worth some 10 billion dollars.

In another development, a bomb blast ripped through a building near downtown Bogota Friday morning, injuring at least three people.

The blast occurred at around 5:30 a.m. in front of a residential building provided by the government to disarmed guerrillas and paramilitary members, said police.

At least three people were hurt in the blast, which damaged some nearby buildings.

The blast has been caused by a bike-bomb, police said, adding that about 10 kg of explosives had been attached to the bike.

An investigation was underway and police have offered a bounty of 20 million Pesos (about US$8,000) for the perpetrators.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2005)