A man was arrested at Melbourne Airport on November 29 after an international manhunt. Photo: AFP
NSW, federal and Victorian police have arrested and charged a man with 55 drug and firearm offences after a manhunt across four countries.
The 32-year-old man was arrested in Melbourne on Friday, November 29, after he was deported from the Philippines and met by Victoria Police officers.
The next day, he was taken to Albury Police Station and charged with 55 drug and firearm offences.
The offences stemmed from a raid in Kensington on Thursday, December 15, 2022, during which police seized 11 firearms, ammunition, ballistic vests, nearly 4kg of GBL, 282 grams of MDMA and 409g of methylamphetamine.
The man was refused bail and appeared again in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday, December 1, 2024, when he formally refused bail and appeared in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, December 3.
The search for the man began in January 2023 when NSW Police asked the Australian Federal Police to track down the man in Bangkok, Thailand.
Thai police arrested the man on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, then tried and jailed him for almost 11 months on immigration offences.
In October 2024, the man received a royal pardon and was ordered to return to Australia.
Police said the man boarded a flight bound for Brisbane with a transit stop through Manila. During that stop, police allege, the man booked a flight to Istanbul, Turkiye, via Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
AFP officers were alerted and they warned local authorities who refused him entry into Istanbul and redirected him to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, November 7.
NSW Police said he tried in vain to book a flight to Lebanon but was returned to Manila on Friday, November 8. He bought a return ticket via Taiwan but authorities there were notified and he was refused entry onto the plane.
Police said he chose to remain in the transit area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport at Manila until he was deported to Australia on November 29.
GLOBAL REACH
NSW Police Commander of State Crime Command’s Raptor Squad, Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis, said the collaboration between Australian police agencies ensured the man could not elude them.
“Our concerted efforts with the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police ensure that individuals involved in serious drug and firearm offences will be apprehended, no matter where they attempt to hide,” Koutsoufis said.
“The message is clear: there are no places beyond the grasp of the Raptor Squad when it comes to safeguarding our communities from the scourge of illegal drugs and firearms.”
AFP Assistant Commissioner David McLean said the AFP’s reach extended to 33 countries and 38 cities.
“The AFP maintains strong relationships with international law enforcement partners to serve and protect the Australian community,” AC McLean said.
