Thor Halvorssen Hellum

Thor Halvorssen Hellum (born in Caracas May 16, 1943)—commonly known as Thor Halvorssen—is a Venezuelan-Norwegian businessman who served as CEO and President of the Venezuelan state-owned telephone company, CANTV and later as Special Commissioner for International Narcotic Affairs in the administration of President Carlos Andrés Pérez. In this post he held the rank of Ambassador. While investigating links to money laundering and drug trafficking, he was arrested and jailed on charges of terrorism; he was beaten and mistreated in prison, but later found innocent of all charges. Halvorssen's case was taken up by Amnesty International. The set-up of Halvorssen was reportedly payback for his investigations into presidential corruption, mafia activity, and the money laundering activities of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

He is a former CIA source, because of this, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) during the government of George H. W. Bush refused to work with him as the Special Commissioner for International Narcotic Affairs, citing as reasons "duplicity and manipulation." while the New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau praised his efforts as someone who provided assistance to his office in the fight against the international narcotics business, as well as to federal law enforcement officials of the United States.