The War Bonus Episode: Mark Buddle, Return of the King

Australia’s most wanted man is back Down Under. See a bonus episode of The War – all about bikie boss Mark Buddle’s return. Watch it now.

Grounded bikie boss Mark Buddle has always been a “very hard man,” according to old classmates from the South Sydney public school he attended — never before seen photos from which can today be revealed.

Smirking and with a full head of hair, Buddle is unremarkable in the back row of the Year 9 photo in 1999 at JJ Cahill Memorial High School in Mascot — the picture taken long before he would rise to power as International Commander of the Comanchero bikie gang.

Unwillingly returned to his homeland for the first time since 2016 on Wednesday, the now 37-year-old was immediately taken into custody by the AFP over the alleged importation of 160kg of cocaine in mid-2021.

Handcuffed, and with his head hanging, Buddle was escorted by AFP on a chartered flight from Darwin to Melbourne in the early hours of Friday morning to face court on two charges related to the alleged importing cocaine worth about $40 million.

As he becomes accustomed to life in custody, underworld sources with knowledge of the Comanchero bikie gang said its loyalty to Buddle was unwavering and with the backing of good mate and new president Allan Meehan, no one would dare make a play for power.

A young Mark Buddle smirks in a school photo from 1999, long before he was the boss of the Comanchero bikie gang.

Buddle was in Year 9 at JJ Cahill Memorial High School in Mascot, and was already a “very hard man” according to old classmates.

“Forget about titles, he’s Mark Buddle — the name speaks for itself,” the underworld source said.

“Buddle is a totally different kettle of fish to any of the other names you know, he’s a resourceful man and a different sort of human being to be honest with you.

The now 37-year-old returned to Australia for the first time in six years this week after being deported by the Turkish government. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“He’s revered above anyone. Everyone is with him all the way to the bank, loyalty to that fella runs deep.

“There’s no one like him. Plus he and Meehan go way back, so they’ll just keep things going as they are.

“The thing with the Comanchero is their quality of men is very high, it’s not like other clubs.

“The team doesn’t rely on one man. I’m sure he’ll fight it (the charges), but right now what can he do? It is what it is.”

Buddle was returned to Australia on Wednesday morning and immediately taken into custody by the AFP. Picture: Australian Federal Police

He is charged with offences relating to the alleged importation of 160kg of cocaine worth $40 million in May 2021. Picture: Australian Federal Police

Buddle was returned to Australia by Turkish authorities early on Wednesday morning, ending a mysterious month-long saga.

It began when the bikie kingpin was nabbed when police burst into his seaside home in North Cyprus in the middle of the night in early July, before flying him to the Turkish mainland a few days later.

Speculation about his next movement was rife as he remained in detention for almost a month before being deported by the Turkish government, who flew him into Darwin on a chartered plane early on Wednesday.

While Buddle is back in Australia, his former partner Mel Ter Wisscha remains in an immigration detention centre in Turkey. Picture: Instagram

The AFP and NSW Police have long regarded the Comanchero as the biggest crime entity in Australia.

Fresh-faced photos of Buddle give no indication of the individual who was set to become one of the nation’s most wanted men, but his former classmates say there were always signs he was destined for big things.

“The main thing I remember about Mark is that he was a very hard man,” one former schoolmate said.

“He was never a bully, not in that sense, but he had an older brother as soon as we got into high school, he was a senior, but their old man (Thomas Buddle) was in jail.

“From what he was exposed to from a young age … it (his rise to a bikie boss) doesn’t really surprise me.”

Buddle is due to be extradited from Darwin to Melbourne in coming days, ahead of a court appearance there.

Originally published as The War Bonus Episode: Mark Buddle, Return of the King