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The reason why this photo of a man alleged to be a ‘Mr Big’ of the drug trade has left police frustrated and enraged
- Alleged fugitive from Australia frustrates police with a picture of him smiling
- Arash Embrahami Far believed to be in Colombia while police try to extradite him
- Police allege he is continuing to traffic drugs into Western Australia
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An alleged drug kingpin wanted by police has been seen with a wily grin in a photo believed to have been taken in Colombia, where he is hiding out.
Western Australian Police believe alleged fugitive Arash ‘The Kid’ Embrahimi Far is living in the South American country while still being actively involved in shipping drugs back to the state.
Police efforts to extradite Embrahimi Far back to Western Australia have been frustrated during a drawn-out 18-month process.
Officers believe they have the evidence to repatriate and prosecute Embrahimi Far but blame bureaucratic processes in Canberra for the delay in doing so.
Arash Embrahimi ‘The Kid’ Far has frustrated police after a new picture emerged believed to be taken in Colombia, where authorities believe he is hiding out after leaving Australia
The photo of Embrahimi Far smiling for the camera in a t-shirt featuring a Spanish slogan has further enraged police seeking his extradition.
Embrahimi Far (left) has not been seen since leaving the country but police allege he is still involved in supplying drugs to WA
‘Incluso en la oscuridad, estás llamado a brillar,’ the shirt reads, directly translating to: ‘Including in the darkness, you’re called to shine.’
It’s the first sighting of the alleged drug trafficker since he left Australia.
The paperwork to extradite Embrahimi Far was approved in 2021 by the Department of Public Prosecutions, but remains in the office of Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told the West Australian finding Embrahimi Far was not the difficult part – returning him to Australia was.
‘I’m not blaming the (Attorney-General’s Department), I’m actually blaming the process, because I say we’ve still got a man who is continuing his criminal enterprise, and he’s not the only one, from overseas to harm West Australians.’
‘By going overseas, you can extend that out. It’s because of the process that drugs can still come into this country whilst we are going through the process to charge and prosecute and bring him back.’
He said the extradition process would be increasingly important for WA police as crackdowns on drugs and organised crimes pushed criminals out of the state and even abroad.
The paper quoted a spokesperson from the Attorney-General’s department who said that extradition matters could take time depending on the complexity of the request and the co-operation of the country in which the alleged person was residing.
‘It can vary from several months to several years for matters to be finalised -particularly if the person appeals each stage of the legal process,’ the spokesperson said.
The spokeswoman said she could not comment the status of Embrahimi Far’s case.
A WA police spokesman confirmed police allege Embrahimi Far in still involved in the distribution of methamphetamine throughout WA.
‘It is alleged that he continues to control organised crime activity in Western Australia from an overseas location, believed to be Colombia,’ he confirmed.
‘Methamphetamine significantly harms the Western Australia community and it is critical that we identify, locate and prosecute all organised crime group members, regardless of where they are in the world.’
Anyone with information on Embrahimi Far’s whereabouts has been advised to call Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.