Drug lord's deathbed confession and Coast cop who hunted him

One of the state's most notorious drug kingpins has made a deathbed confession after spending more than 12 years on the run from police.

By Scott Sawyer

3 min read

December 5, 2018 - 4:00PM

FUGITIVE: Keith John Porter skipped his sentencing and went on the run for over a decade before his death. Picture: Contributed

Sunshine Coast

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ONE of the state's most notorious drug kingpins has made a deathbed confession after spending more than 12 years on the run from police.

Keith John Porter, 61, died in a Northern Territory hospice on Saturday after losing his battle with cancer.

In a handwritten letter left to his carers, Mr Porter, known for the past 12 years by other aliases including Chris Tolley, revealed to hospice staff he wasn't who he'd claimed.

Former Sunshine Coast detective and current Ninderry MP Dan Purdie was working with the State Drug Investigation Group as a plain clothes Senior Constable in 2002 when he and his colleagues made what was then the largest cocaine bust in the state.

Joint Federal-State Operation Fray Palace had identified Porter as a "top level" trafficker, who'd been moving cocaine and cannabis up and down Queensland's east coast for years.

Intel came that the cocaine was being shipped into Cooktown in oil-filled barrels, then flown to Brisbane for distribution.

HAUL: Ex- drug squad detective Dan Purdie, left, and a colleague, with the haul of drugs they nabbed from Keith John Porter in 2002. They seized more than 7kg of pure cocaine and 11kg of cannabis from Porter, who went on the run for more than a decade. Picture: Contributed

In September 2002, Mr Purdie and colleagues intercepted Porter at Brisbane Airport after he arrived from Cooktown and searched his luggage.

They busted him with 7.2kg of cocaine, at a purity of more than 70 per cent, worth $4-$5 million in 2002.

"It was straight off the boat from Colombia," Mr Purdie said.

A search of Porter's Chermside home found 11kg of cannabis in vacuum-sealed bags.

Porter was slapped with a string of charges including possessing a commercial quantity of the illicit drugs.

Porter was held in custody for some time then granted bail and in 2006 was due to be sentenced in Brisbane Supreme Court for between 17 and 20 years for his crimes.

He never arrived for sentencing, sparking a major manhunt.

While police had Porter's de facto under surveillance, Porter had assumed the alias of Chris Tolley, after admitting in his deathbed letter he'd assumed the name "from a card I found years ago".

Former child protection detective Dan Purdie became the LNP MP for Ninderry at last year's State Election. Picture: John McCutcheon

Reported sightings in Western Australia and South Australia proved to be "red herrings".

Mr Purdie moved departments and in 2008 relocated to the Sunshine Coast as a child protection detective, but every 6-12 months he would carry out rental, Medicare and other searches.

"We were looking for Keith John Porter for 14 years," he said.

A week ago a hit on Porter's whereabouts proved solid in the Northern Territory.

As detectives were preparing to make an arrest the news came through that Porter had died.

"I couldn't believe it," Mr Purdie said.

MAIDEN SPEECH: Ninderry MP Dan Purdie with his wife Andrea and their two daughters in Parliament House ahead of his maiden speech. Picture: Contributed

"As much as I'm dirty that he was a drug trafficker and should've spent the last 14 years in jail, there's a bit of romance to it I suppose.

"Hopefully he was looking over his shoulder the whole time. At the end of the day, he had a win, good luck to him."

According to Porter's letter, in that time he'd given up his life of crime and he was full of gratitude, joy and honour to "have actually made this far".

"I would just say I have had an incredibly full life with some amazingly f------ grouse experiences," his letter read.

"I have no idea what will happen to my body, maybe the Queensland Police would finally take custody?

"It's all been grouse, thank you."

Porter was named as one of the country's 10 most wanted people as part of the Operation Roam Rogue Radar launched last year.

Detectives will next week look into Porter's alias, Chris Tolley, to confirm nothing sinister happened to Mr Tolley.

For Mr Purdie, he said he could now finally advise the Central Exhibits Facility it could destroy the 7.2kg of cocaine and 11kg of cannabis still held in evidence.

"It was worth tens and tens of millions of dollars," Mr Purdie said.

"I'm so intrigued by it... I'd love to retrace his steps."

Mr Purdie likened the decade-plus search to the Tom Hanks movie Catch Me If You Can.

"I can see the romance in it for him," Mr Purdie said.

"He was one of the principle targets of the operation."

Palliative care nurses gave the deathbed letter to police and fingerprints of 'Chris Tolley' confirmed Porter's identity.

KEITH PORTER'S FULL DEATHBED LETTER (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)