Karlos Vemola, former UFC fighter, arrested in connection with large-scale international cocaine smuggling operation
According to reports, former UFC fighter Karlos Vemola, 40, is one of five people who has been arrested and charged since December for being members of a large-scale international cocaine smuggling operation, which transported drugs hidden in trucks to Britain and the Czech Republic.
“In April 2020, a truck with a trailer left the Czech Republic,” said the National Anti-Drug Police Center’s spokeswoman Lucie Smoldasova. “It was headed for the Netherlands and then on to the British port of Dover, where an inspection of the truck carrying children’s toys revealed 50 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a compartment behind the driver’s cab.”
Smoldasova said the police discovered 34 kilos of cocaine at Vemola’s home and suggested that he was also preparing a shipment of another 120 kilograms of cocaine from South America, which the group wanted to sell abroad and in the Czech Republic.
According to Smoldasova, three members of the group remain in custody, while two are being investigated by the police. Vemola was released on bail on Monday. He is not allowed to go abroad and will be supervised by a probation officer. If convicted, he faces up to 18 years in prison.
Nicknamed “the Terminator,” Vemola was the first UFC fighter from the Czech Republic. He competed in the UFC from 2010 to 2013 and produced a 2-4 record while with the promotion. His overall mixed martial arts record is 38-9 and he last competed in June 2025 where he defeated Attila Végh for the Infinity Championship under the Oktagon MMA banner.
