Pazooki Farhad, a powerful drug lord also known as “The Professor,” has been captured in Colombia after escaping a police operation aimed at dismantling his international cocaine smuggling network. Farhad, who is Norwegian, was arrested at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport, following his flight from an undisclosed location after a bust involving his drug trafficking operation.
Farhad, along with his network, is accused of masterminding one of the largest sailboat cocaine smuggling operations between South America and Europe. His capture comes after months of intense international cooperation between law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency (NCA), Spanish PolicÃa Nacional, and their counterparts in Norway, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and EUROPOL. The operation, known as Operation Mentor, has already resulted in the arrest of 50 people across seven countries and the seizure of significant amounts of illicit drugs, vehicles, and vessels.
In December 2023, a Spanish-registered yacht carrying 1.2 tonnes of cocaine, worth £96 million, was intercepted 1,200 miles east of Martinique by a French navy frigate. Three British nationals, including a 30-year-old man from Stornoway, Scotland, were arrested. Authorities allege that Farhad was the key figure behind recruiting crew members and overseeing the operation of these narco-sailboats, which transported cocaine from South America to Spain.
Farhad, who has been involved in drug trafficking for over two decades, is said to have been working closely with Colombian and Mexican cartels. He was believed to coordinate drug production and its transportation throughout South America before it was shipped to Europe. His operations also reportedly involved laundering the profits through various businesswomen across multiple countries.
A spokesman for Colombia’s National Police confirmed Farhad’s arrest, stating, “The capture of ‘The Professor’ is a significant blow to the international drug trafficking organization he led.” Farhad’s associate, Bernsten Bjarte, another Norwegian involved in the smuggling ring, was arrested in Barranquilla, Colombia, for his role in illegally entering the city on a sailboat.
The success of Operation Mentor highlights the global effort to disrupt transnational drug trafficking networks. Spanish police praised the cooperation between international agencies in bringing down one of the most sophisticated drug smuggling operations operating between South America and Europe.
