Colombian authorities confirm Mezrahi faces UAE prison term over fraud, money laundering, forgery and falsified documents

A 61-year-old Israeli national known locally as "El Banquero" was taken into custody at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia.

(photo credit: VIA WALLA, YOAV ETIEL)

OCTOBER 19, 2026 01:18

A 61-year-old Israeli national known by the nickname "El Banquero" was detained at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia, during a coordinated effort involving Colombian police and Interpol. The individual, named Mikhael Mezrahi, was apprehended after an Interpol Red Notice was activated.

Colombian police stated that Mezrahi is sought by United Arab Emirates officials to complete a prison term tied to charges of fraud, money laundering, forgery, and use of falsified private documents.

Officials claim Mezrahi belonged to a cross-border group that defrauded Dubai's Khartoum bank of roughly $16.7 million through fake financial instruments. After detention he was moved to the Attorney General's Office while extradition steps continued.

Israeli suspect carried four passports en route to Venezuela

Local media outlets noted that the man, listed in some accounts as Mikhael Jaime Shamis Mezrahi, reached Bogota on a flight from Madrid and intended to continue onward to Venezuela.

Reports indicate he possessed four passports from separate nations. Besides Israeli and Mexican nationality, he is said to hold Canadian and Lebanese citizenship as well.

Colombian newspapers El Tiempo and Extra stated Mezrahi received a five-year sentence in the UAE in November 2022, then departed for Spain where an extradition bid was declined by the National Court.

Alleged fraud network tied to global firms and fund transfers

Accounts describe Mezrahi's wide-ranging commercial interests, including securities firms in the United Kingdom plus real estate and tourism ventures in Canada and Mexico.

He reportedly faced earlier Canadian probes linked to drug trafficking. Investigators say part of the fraud proceeds moved to a firm he controlled named WYB AG General Trading.

Colombian police call arrest a win for global cooperation

Col. Alver Vicente Alfonso Sanabria, head of the Interpol unit in Colombia's National Police, called the detention a major success for joint law-enforcement work.

"Mezrahi's arrest reflects strong results from international police coordination through Interpol's National Central Bureau in Colombia," Sanabria said.

"It shows the nation's resolve against transnational organized crime," he added.