Colombian police announced on Tuesday the capture of Pazooki Farhad, a Norwegian drug kingpin known as “The Professor.”
Farhad is alleged to have headed a global drug trafficking operation from South America to Europe using “narco sailboats,” according to CBS News.
The alleged drug trafficker was apprehended at El Dorado Airport in Bogota. His right-hand man was arrested in Barranquilla, the news outlet reported. (RELATED: Colombian Navy Finds ‘Ghost’ Submarine Loaded With More Than Two Tons Of Cocaine)
Farhad had criminal ties to Columbia’s largest cartel, Clan del Golfo, as well as Mexican cartels including Sinaloa and Jalisco Nuevo Generacion, the police said. He is suspected of collaborating with these criminal enterprises to transport cocaine.
Colombia: Authorities recently captured two Norwegian citizens, Pazooki Farhad (known as ‘el Profesor’) and Bernsten Bjarte, leaders of a ‘narcoveleros’ organization with ties to the Clan del Golfo and Mexican drug traffickers.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/2ivKJqAh9K— Crime Intel (@WorldCrimeIntel) July 31, 2024
Spanish authorities apprehended 50 individuals tied to the Professor in Spain and seven other nations. They seized 1.5 tons of cocaine and eight sailboats used to smuggle the drugs, CBS News reported.
Europol marked Farhad as a “high value target” due to his lengthy and extensive career in the international drug trade, which spans more than two decades. “He has had more than 20 years in the business, winning him the full confidence of the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels with whom he coordinated the shipments,” the agency explained.