(Adds murder charge, comment from U.S. Justice Department, prosecutor)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Brazil extradited Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia on Friday to the United States, where he is wanted on murder, racketeering and drug charges as one of the most powerful leaders of Colombia's cocaine cartels.

Ramirez Abadia was flown before dawn from a prison in Mato Grosso do Sul state and left Brazil from the Amazon region city of Manaus accompanied by U.S. federal agents, Brazilian federal police said.

Ramirez Abadia will face federal murder charges in New York and charges of drug trafficking and money laundering in New York and Washington, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Ramirez Abadia was indicted in New York and Washington in 2004 on charges stemming from his leadership of the powerful Norte del Valle cartel based near Cali. In a second indictment in 2007 in New York, he was charged with hiring gunmen to kill one of his workers.

According to the Washington indictment, the cartel exported more than $10 billion worth of cocaine from Colombia to the United States between 1990 and 2004.

Ramirez Abadia, 45, was arrested a year ago in Sao Paulo, where Brazilian authorities found him living in luxury with his family and running a drug ring reaching across continents. He was later convicted in Brazil and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

"His illegal operation included drug manufacturers, couriers, money launderers and accountants, and he and his cohorts resorted to bribery, kidnapping, torture and even murder to further their goal of making as much money as possible," U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell said in a statement.

The Colombian, nicknamed "Lollipop," had sought extradition to the United States, saying he feared for his life if he was returned to his home country. He underwent plastic surgery to alter his appearance and avoid being identified.

Colombia last year seized $400 million in property, including a Caribbean island, from the drug lord.

Confiscated goods that had belonged to Ramirez Abadia and his wife, including vintage port and a vast shoe collection, were sold at a Sao Paulo auction in April.

Investigations in the United States may reveal new drug trafficking routes as well as funds belonging to the cartel that could be confiscated by the U.S. and Brazilian governments, said Brazilian National Justice Secretary Romeu Tuma. (Additional reporting by Ana Paula Paiva and Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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