Mostafa Baluch alleged drug kingpin is captured by police after two-week manhunt
Accused drug kingpin Mostafa Baluch was arrested by police in a dramatic sting on the NSW/Queensland border using intelligence gathered by cops as his former underworld colleagues turned on him after a series of raids.
Police had stopped the truck as it crossed the border and searched the container on the back of the vehicle, where they located the ‘shocked and surprised’ 33-year-old man hiding inside a grey Mercedes SUV.
However, as the net closed around Baluch, police also exposed a whole new complex drug network as they raided his friends and associates in a desperate attempt to ensure he didn’t flee overseas where big-time gangsters were waiting for him.
The fugitive, who allegedly cut his ankle monitor after being granted bail for a drug importation charge and spent 16 days on the run, was captured by NSW Police at Tweed Heads near the Queensland border at 1am.
Organised Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Rob Crichlow described the capture of Baluch as a ‘very happy day’ as he revealed the extraordinary details of how they captured Australia’s most wanted man.
‘They noticed some suspicious items with the container that wasn’t properly locked and other things that brought their attention,’ he told reporters.
‘Famously, there was a knock on the side of the truck and he knocked back. He was a bit shocked and ultimately good police work secured his arrest.’
‘We suspect that the person … thought it was a drop off point – that he was being signalled that is safe.
‘Of course, he didn’t realise it was a constable.’
Mostafa Baluch (pictured sitting) has been captured by police after a two week manhunt
A photo released by police show Baluch dressed in a T-shirt and shorts sitting on the side of the road moments after his dramatic arrest.
Baluch was arrested and taken to Southport Watch House, where he remains in custody and will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Organised Crime Squad detectives have travelled to Queensland to seek Baluch’s extradition to NSW.
Det Supt Crichlow paid tribute to investigators who have spent the last two weeks working around the clock to track Baluch down.
‘He had a lot of help but there were a lot of people against him,’ Det Supt Crichlow said.
‘The community have turned the criminal element against him. He attracted a lot of attention and it’s caused impacts for people he knows.
‘We will look at everybody he knows and everybody he talks to and we have and we’ve achieved excellent results. We’ll continue with that.’
Mostafa Baluch (pictured) has been captured by NSW Police after a two-week manhunt
Baluch was found in the boot of this grey Mercedes (pictured) in a shipping container on the back of a truck crossing the NSW/Queensland border at Tweed Heads
The driver of the truck that was intercepted at the border was detained eight hours later more than 200 kilometres away in Grafton.
John Kitanovski, the owner of trucking company Kit Bros is currently being questioned by officers.
Police sources claim Kitanovski is believed to have previous links to Baluch.
‘That gentleman has been detained by police and will be charged in relation to conveying the wanted person out of the jurisdiction,’ Det Supt Crichlow said.
‘He will also face further inquiries about other related offences. We’re going through that trucking company with a fine-toothed comb.’
‘We understand they’ll have few trucks left on the road tomorrow when they finish.’
“This gentleman has a trucking company, he is involved in transportation but also he transports other commodities from time to time, so he’s somebody who’s been of interest to us.
“Mr Baluch has given us opportunities we didn’t have before and this is very exciting for us because it’s given us great potential.
He revealed police were quick to act after receiving new information on Baluch’s whereabouts.
‘This information was quite fresh and was acted upon as soon as it came in.’ he said.
‘We knew there was a truck. There was a lot of police work and diligence to find it.’
Police knew they were closing in after officers raided two homes in Sydney’s south-west last Thursday.
Organised Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Rob Crichlow has revealed the extraordinary details of how Mostafa Baluch was found hiding in the boot of a Mercedes in a shipping container on the back of the truck
‘We searched a number of houses last week and seized several hundred thousand dollars and other items connected with drug trafficking,’ Det Supt Crichlow said
‘We know for sure he had been at some of those addresses.
‘We were close behind him all the way. We’ve identified what we will allege is a drug trafficking syndicate, which we’re now dismantling as a result of this investigation.
‘He was certainly, we’ll allege, connected to that group.’
NSW police minister David Elliott has publicly apologised to international law enforcement agencies and for the resources spent on the 16 day manhunt.
‘Can I apologise to the international law enforcement agencies whose work led to the arrest, assisted us in the arrest originally of this individual?’ he said.
‘And of course the anxiety that’s been caused over the last two weeks because of the very questionable decision to give him bail in the first place.
‘As I said from day one, I was embarrassed for the Australian Federal Police, because they had to go and tell our international law enforcement partners that we had lost one of the big ones and it was embarrassing that a suburban magistrate was responsible.
‘I was embarrassed because of the cost to investigative in the first place, let alone the cost of the last two weeks.’
NSW Police Minister David Elliott
The minister also described Baluch’s arrest as a great morning for policing, just days after youngster Cleo Smith was found alive and well after a 18 day disappearance.
He also paid tribute to the constable who knocked on the truck.
‘I’m tracking down the constable that did the famous knock on the side of the truck,’ Mr Elliott said.
‘He’ll get a beer and a hug from me when the borders open and if that’s not an enticement for Queensland to open the borders, I don’t know what is.’
Police left no stone unturned in their quest to ensure Baluch didn’t flee the country.
‘We didn’t want to leave any opportunities for this man to flee,’ Det Supt Crichlow said.
‘We knew people overseas were waiting for him to come and join with them. That was a great concern. As the commander said, high-end targets live overseas and that causes enormous harm to Australians. So we were determined he wouldn’t leave Australia.’
State Crime Commander Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said police celebrated when they heard the good news shortly after Baluch’s arrest.
‘This is an extensive operation. We have thrown everything at it, human resources, intelligence, international agencies, technologies from multiple agencies, that has brought us to the position of this apprehension,’ he said.
Baluch pictured outside his home in Mona Vale on October 25, just hours before the alleged international drug lord disappeared
The arrest of the man dubbed as ‘Australia’s Pablo Escobar’ comes after police seized cocaine and more than $250,000 in cash after raiding homes in Yagoona and Potts Hill in Sydney’s south-west on Thursday night as part of national and international efforts to find Baluch.
Baluch was last seen in Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches on October 25, just days after he was granted bail and released from custody under strict conditions.
His ankle monitor tracker was found a nearby Golf Course in Mona Vale, on Sydney’s northern beaches
He had been charged with a string of drug offences related to a 900kg shipment of cocaine into Australia that had a street value of $270 million.
A day after he went missing, police believe they spotted Baluch in the backseat of a black Range Rover as it travelled east on the M4 at Croydon. The vehicle was later found and seized by police.
Police seized more than $250,000 cash, about 200 grams of cocaine, 485 grams of an unknown substance, mobile phones, and an electronic money counter at the two Sydney homes raided last Thursday night.
Officers from NSW Police, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force were involved in the investigation.
Inquiries are continuing.
Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow addresses the media after
