Two Russian nationals are awaiting extradition to New Orleans after being arrested in Colombia and linked by federal investigators to a 77-kilogram cocaine seizure in Metairie. The men were taken into custody in two different Colombian cities as authorities there worked through a U.S. extradition request.
The men were identified as Oleg Khazov, arrested in Cartagena, and Vitali Zhikarev, arrested in Medellín, according to Semana. Both were subsequently moved to Bogotá and placed at the disposal of Colombian authorities handling the extradition process, as El Espectador reported. The outlet's account forms the backbone of what is publicly known so far about the case.
Per the same account, the extradition request originated from a court in the U.S. Eastern District of Louisiana, which sought the men over their alleged involvement in an international cocaine-trafficking network. WWLTV reported that federal investigators linked the two Russian nationals to a cocaine seizure in Metairie, with the men now awaiting extradition to New Orleans.
The Metairie Connection
Investigators reportedly linked the pair directly to 77 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride seized in Metairie on May 25, 2025, the article notes. That seizure, which predates the arrests by well over a year, appears to be the central piece of evidence tying the two men to Louisiana.
According to the allegations described by authorities and reported by Semana, the two men are said to have played distinct roles within the network: Khazov allegedly coordinated the logistics of shipments, while Zhikarev allegedly obtained and outfitted sailboats and organized their crews.
Sailboats Allegedly Used to Mask Shipments
Reports describe the broader network as one that used sailboats to conceal cocaine shipments before sending them overseas. Infobae reported that the operation outfitted sailing vessels to camouflage drug cargo before dispatching it abroad, part of a scheme authorities describe as moving cocaine toward North America and Europe.
