A drug trafficker who worked for Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel has been extradited to the U.S. as he awaits charges in Florida, the U.S. State Department said Friday.

Carlos Lobo, a citizen of Honduras, was transferred to U.S. custody on Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Reuters. The transfer is the first since Honduras changed its extradition laws two years ago.

"Lobo's extradition is an important affirmation of the rule of law in Honduras and a strong signal that President Juan Orlando Hernandez is fully committed to stopping the use of Honduran territory for illicit activity," Psaki said.

Lobo is accused of trafficking multiple loads of cocaine from Colombia to drug gangs in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. He was caught in March and was indicted on drug trafficking charges in Florida.

After Mexico captured former Sinaloa boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in March, Honduras has become more instrumental in the operations of Mexican drug cartels, according to Reuters. The Central American country has been an important transfer site for drugs that eventually find their way into the United States.

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