A years-long international manhunt for a Canadian drug trafficker has come to an abrupt end far from home. According to CBC News, the man, who had spent more than three years on the run, was captured while working out at a gym in Colombia, bringing a dramatic close to his time as a fugitive.
The moment of his arrest was captured on camera and shared publicly. A video posted online by Colombia's defence minister shows heavily armed security forces moving into the gym, with a man later seen being escorted away in handcuffs as the operation unfolded.
Authorities were quick to put a name to the suspect. Officials identified the man as Arif Juman, a figure who had drawn the attention of law enforcement on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border as investigators worked to track him down.
His capture was tied to serious allegations in the United States. According to the report, Juman was recently wanted by U.S. authorities in connection with a cross-border gun smuggling plot involving a criminal organization, placing him at the centre of an investigation into the illegal movement of firearms.
At the same time, he remained a wanted man in his own country. Colombia's defence minister said Juman was also being sought by Canadian authorities for violating his parole, underscoring that his legal troubles stretched across multiple jurisdictions.
Those Canadian troubles date back several years. In 2023, Juman was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for breach of parole while he was serving a sentence of nearly 10 years for drug trafficking, a conviction that had already marked him as a significant figure in the country's drug trade.
With Juman now in custody in Colombia, the focus shifts to what comes next in the legal process spanning three countries. His capture, broadcast through the defence minister's video, stands as a high-profile example of cross-border cooperation aimed at tracking down fugitives long after they slip away.