Sydney man Tony Haddad arrested in Darwin after arrested in Turkey in international manhunt
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Suspected drug smuggler who fled to Turkey while on trial for importing chemicals to produce two million MDMA tablets is arrested and deported to Australia
- Tony Haddad returns to Australia after being deported by Turkish authorities
- Fled to Turkey in June, caught trying to leave in August with fake passport
- Arrested in 2011 in connection with 2.2 tons of safrole oil imported from China
- Failed to appear in court in 2020 on the charge of importing a commercial quantity
- Haddad will face Darwin court on Friday and is expected to be extradited to NSW
A Sydney man who fled to Turkey while on trial for his alleged role in importing a precursor that could produce more than two million MDMA tablets has been arrested and returned to Australia.
Tony Haddad, 46, was deported by Turkish authorities and landed in Darwin on Friday morning, where he was arrested by Australian Federal Police officers.
He will appear in a Darwin court on Friday, where a request will be made to extradite him to NSW.
AFP alleges Haddad fled to Turkey at the end of June, where he was caught by authorities trying to leave the country on August 14 using a fake passport.
Turkish authorities detained Haddad after establishing his identity.
Tony Haddad is expected to be extradited to New South Wales when he appears in a Darwin court on Friday.
Police allege that Haddad failed to appear in court in March 2020 to face a charge of importing a commercial quantity of 2.8 tons of safrole oil in 2011.
Haddad faced up to 25 years behind bars if convicted.
In May, AFP’s Fugitive Apprehension Team launched a public appeal for information on Haddad’s whereabouts, saying his last known location was Sydney and he could be anywhere in Australia.
AFP suspected at the time that Haddad was allegedly hiding out in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic, possibly on the south coast of New South Wales, before fleeing Australia a month later.
The AFP notified the Turkish authorities that he may have fled there, who in turn informed their Australian counterparts in August that Haddad had been detained for using a false travel document.
Haddad was first arrested in 2011 as part of a joint investigation between AFP and Australia’s then Customs and Border Protection, which allegedly found safrole in containers labeled as hair and cleaning products imported from China in three shipments.
AFP officers arrested the suspected crime figure at Darwin airport on Friday morning (File image from AFP Darwin officials)
AFP Deputy Commissioner Nigel Ryan welcomed the decision by the Turkish authorities to deport Haddad.
“AFP will continue to investigate this man’s activities over the past two years and will not hesitate to press charges if we have evidence that criminal activity is being used to finance his efforts to escape detection,” it said.
“This also highlights AFP FAST’s commitment and expertise: our investigators only need a few small pieces to start putting together a clearer picture for tracking down fugitives seeking to hide so as not to answer for their criminal acts.”
Haddad’s return to Australia is the second high-profile deportation from Turkey in recent months.
The alleged crime boss, Mark Buddle, was extradited to Australia in August.
Haddad is the second high-profile deportation from Turkey in recent months. Pictured is alleged crime boss Mark Buddle who was extradited to Australia in August.