Sydney gangland figure Masood Zakaria will face court two years after police allege he fled the country and entered Turkey using a fake passport.
Zakaria, 28, was arrested at Darwin Airport yesterday after he was deported by Turkish authorities.
Zakaria has been wanted on an arrest warrant by NSW Police for a number of serious criminal offences, including conspiracy to murder.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald described the man as “one of the most wanted and significant organised crime figures in NSW”.
“State Crime Command’s Criminal Groups Squad have worked tenaciously on this investigation over the past four years and are currently in Darwin preparing for the man’s extradition to NSW in the coming days,” he said.
“Once in NSW, he will face a series of charges relating to his alleged role as a director of a criminal group and conspiracy to murder – serious and violent crimes that carry equally serious jail time.”
The AFP said in a statement the man had been a focus of its Operation Gain since 2022.
“The man, 28, was deported by Turkish authorities and landed in Darwin, where he was arrested by members of the AFP’s Transnational Offshore Disruption Taskforce, known as Operation Gain, on an arrest warrant obtained by the NSW Police Force,” the statement read.
“The alleged offender has been a priority for Operation Gain since 2022. The man had left Australia unlawfully in 2022.”
Zakaria will face Darwin Magistrates Court today where NSW Police will apply for his extradition to Sydney.
The Australian Federal Police have reaffirmed their relentlessness to make alleged criminals who have fled the country to face the justice system after one of Australia’s most wanted men was arrested upon his deportation from Turkey.
Masood Zakaria, 28, landed in Darwin on Sunday afternoon after he was deported by Turkish authorities and was put in custody of the AFP and arrested by members of its Transnational Offshore Disruption Taskforce known as Operation Gain.
Police arrested him about 2.25pm local time on an arrest warrant obtained by NSW Police in relation to several serious alleged criminal offences.
The alleged offences include conspiracy to murder, knowingly direct the activities of a criminal group, supply a prohibited drug, deal in the proceeds of crime and contravene a serious crime prevention order.
The AFP worked in conjunction with Turkish authorities after they were informed Mr Zakaria had allegedly entered the country with a false passport and that he was associated with organised crime groups with “significant Australian links”.
Mr Zakaria fled to Turkey in 2022 with AFP listing him as a priority under the operation. Turkish authorities tracked him down and discovered he was living in the city of Bodrum.
He was arrested and transferred to immigration detention by Turkish authorities in January this year where he remained until he was deported.
AFP Eastern Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto said Turkey’s willingness to deport the alleged offender demonstrated their “no tolerance” stance on “transnational serious organised crime operating in their country”.
Asst Comm. Dametto also said the arrest should serve as a warning for Australian alleged criminals who try to flee and avoid facing “justice”.
“Australians who think they can hide offshore in perceived safe havens and avoid facing Australian courts for their alleged crimes need to heed this warning; the AFP is relentless in our pursuit to ensure you face justice,” he said in an AFP statement.
“Operation Gain targets the most prominent overseas-based offenders of interest to all Australian law enforcement agencies, disrupts their criminal activities and ultimately ensures these alleged criminals are held to account for their actions.
“More than 70 per cent of the transnational serious organised criminals who target Australia are offshore. One-by-one, these alleged criminals are being extradited or deported to Australia to face the justice system.
“We have plans for other targets and it is just a matter of time before the long arm of the AFP reaches them. The AFP’s presence in 34 countries, underscored by relationships maintained over decades, allows us to identify where offenders are hiding, and share relevant intelligence with our trusted partners.”
The alleged offender is scheduled to face Darwin Magistrates Court today where NSW Police will make an application to extradite him to NSW.
(Sky News)
