A Norwegian man known as "The Professor" has been arrested in Colombia and accused of leading a drug-trafficking ring that moved cocaine from South America to Europe in the largest sailboat fleet in the world, local police announced.
The man, Pazooki Farhad, was detained at El Dorado airport. His alleged right-hand man, Bernsten Bjarte (also Norwegian) was captured in the Colombian city of Barranquilla.
The arrests are a further blow to the criminal organization, as 50 people allegedly linked to it were also apprehended earlier this month in eight different countries, along with 1.5 tons of cocaine and eight sailboats used to traffic the illegal substance.
Europol had designated Farhad as a "high value target," saying he has been in the business "for more than 20 years" and had the trust of top Latin American cartels such as those from Sinaloa and the Jalisco Nueva Generación in Mexico.
The Sinaloa cartel was dealt a massive blow in late July, after co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was arrested in Texas. Ioan Grillo, a top reporter covering cartels and drug-trafficking in Mexico, explained along with colleague Juan Alberto Cedillo that he was betrayed his godson, Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
The incident occurred in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where Zambada was lured under the pretext of a meeting with Guzmán López and a Sinaloan politician. El Mayo had traveled to Culiacán from his hideout in Durango about a week earlier to get cancer treatment, the journalists said.
However, upon arriving at a designated residence, he was ambushed by gunmen loyal to Guzmán López. The attack overpowered four of El Mayo's bodyguards, who remain unaccounted for, while another bodyguard and an assistant managed to escape.
The Mexican government said it didn't play a role in the capture and demanded an explanation from the United States. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has sought clarification, while U.S. officials have maintained that the operation was not planned by any U.S. government agency.
In the aftermath, there are varying theories about Zambada's capture, with some suggesting he may have surrendered. However, evidence points more convincingly towards a kidnapping. Tensions within the Sinaloa Cartel are high, with factions loyal to Zambada bracing for potential violence as they process what many are calling a betrayal.
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