The Swede, who goes by the name "El Sueco", was arrested on Friday in Cali in western Colombia, El Tiempo reports.
He was wanted by Sweden via an Interpol red notice for aggravated drug smuggling, and the arrest is said to have taken place in a joint operation between Colombian police, Europol and Swedish police.
The Colombian authorities describe the Swede as a key figure in an extensive criminal network that smuggled drugs illegally between different countries.
His main task was to organize logistics and secure transport routes, according to El Tiempo. Cocaine was allegedly smuggled in cosmetic products that were sent by plane and boat to various international destinations.
According to the newspaper, the investigation shows that the Swede may have had contacts with the criminal networks Mocro Maffia and the Balkan Cartel, which play an important role in the European drug trade.
Colombian authorities see the arrest as an important success. According to Colombian police chief William Oswaldo Rincon Zambrano, it is a direct blow to the criminal networks that coordinate cocaine shipments to Europe and the United Arab Emirates. In a post on X, he states that the Swede is one of the most wanted criminals in Sweden.
Swedish police have not commented on the arrest.
