A man has been charged with more than 50 drug and gun offences after an international manhunt spanning four countries.
The investigation began in October 2022, when New South Wales Police established a strike force to look into alleged cocaine supply in Sydney.
Three men have been previously charged and remain before the courts.
In January last year, NSW Police asked Australian Federal Police to help track down a 32-year-old man in Bangkok, Thailand, alleging he was there on a falsely obtained passport.
The man was arrested on November 8 last year and jailed for almost 11 months in Thailand on immigration offences.
In October this year, he received a royal pardon and deported from Thailand on a Brisbane-bound flight.
While in transit in Manila, in the Philippines, the man allegedly attempted to book a flight to Istanbul in Turkey, via Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
The AFP alerted its officers in Manila, Abu Dhabi, and Ankara in Turkey, who warned local authorities about the man’s impending arrival.
The man was denied entry into Istanbul and redirected to Abu Dhabi, where he landed on Thursday, November 7.
Police allege he tried to book and board a flight to Lebanon, but was instead returned to Manila.
When he landed back in the Philippines on November 8, the man allegedly bought a ticket to Taiwan, but was refused entry onto the plane.
Instead of returning to Australia, the man opted to stay in the transit area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, police claim
However, he was officially denied entry to the Philippines on November 11, and was finally flown to Australia.
He was arrested by police at Melbourne airport.
NSW Raptor Squad officers took custody of the man in Melbourne and took him to Albury, where he was charged with 55 drug and gun offences relating to the seizure of guns, ammunition, during a search warrant in Kensington, Sydney, in December 2022.
He appeared in court in Sydney yesterday, where he was formally refused bail. He will next appear in court tomorrow.
