A 61-year-old Israeli man known as “El Banquero” (The Banker) was arrested at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport in a joint operation by Colombian police and Interpol, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as Mikhael Mezrahi, was detained Thursday after an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of the United Arab Emirates flagged him in migration systems. According to Colombian police, Mezrahi is wanted by the UAE to serve a prison sentence for fraud, money laundering, forgery and the use of falsified private documents.

Investigators allege that Mezrahi was tied to an international network that defrauded the Bank of Khartoum in Dubai of 61.44 million dirhams, approximately $16.7 million. According to Interpol, the network posed as high-profile investors and representatives of legitimate commercial projects, using forged bank guarantees, contracts and financial documents, and even staged meetings and simulations to give its operations an appearance of legality.

Part of the defrauded funds was allegedly transferred to accounts of companies linked to Mezrahi, including WYB AG General Trading, a firm police say he owns. The group then used delaying tactics, such as sending fake transfer orders, to buy time and divert the money abroad, Colombian police said.

Colombian media reported that Mezrahi arrived in Bogotá on a flight from Madrid and was preparing to board a connecting flight to Venezuela. He was reportedly carrying four passports issued by different countries.

El Tiempo and Extra reported that Mezrahi was sentenced to five years in prison in the UAE in November 2022 and later fled to Spain, where the country’s National Court rejected an extradition request against him, citing what it described as a lack of defense guarantees in the Emirati proceedings.

“Mezrahi’s arrest is a significant result of the international police cooperation mechanisms led by Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Colombia,” said Col. Elver Vicente Alfonso Sanabria, director of criminal investigation and Interpol at Colombia’s National Police. “It demonstrates the country’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime.”

Mezrahi was handed over to Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office through its international affairs directorate, as diplomatic and judicial proceedings for his possible extradition to the UAE advance.