Mostafa Baluch’s escape plans allegedly included sailing from Wollongong

Australia’s most wanted man has been returned to Sydney after he was whisked away from a Gold Coast courthouse earlier on Thursday.

Alleged drug smuggler Mostafa Baluch has been returned to NSW Police custody after a Queensland magistrate approved his extradition to the state.

Baluch, who was flown on a plane from the Gold Coast wearing shackles and prison greens, landed at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport on Thursday evening.

The 33-year-old Sydneysider and alleged drug financier was dramatically captured in the back of a truck at the Queensland border on Wednesday.

Baluch, who allegedly cut off his ankle monitor on October 25 and led police on a 16-day manhunt, appeared by speakerphone at Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

Mostafa Baluch arrived at Bankstown Airport on Thursday evening after being extradited from Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

Mostafa Baluch wore prison greens as he was led onto a NSW Police plane on the Gold Coast. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Mostafa Baluch was driven from the courthouse after a magistrate agreed to his extradition to NSW. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Alexander Druce

“Yes, I can hear you,” were Baluch’s only words after he was asked if he was on the line.

Baluch’s lawyer Nicholas Andrews said there were no issues in agreeing to the extradition deal for his client.

Mr Andrews said Baluch was in good spirits but would not answer any further questions about his wellbeing or his time in custody.

Mostafa Baluch was arrested early on Wednesday morning near the NSW-Queensland border. Picture: NSW Police

Mostafa Baluch has been extradited to NSW following a frantic 16-day manhunt. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Police drove off with Baluch in the back of the silver Isuzu D-Max at about 2.30pm.

He had arrived in Queensland the night before in another silver car – a Mercedes that was placed inside a shipping container on the back of a truck.

Police officers, who had been tipped off he might be trying to cross the border that way, stopped several trucks before discovering Baluch at about 1am Wednesday.

He is due to appear in Sydney Central Local Court on Friday.

Baluch is the alleged financier behind a 900kg shipment of cocaine into Australia that had a street value of $270m.

Thursday’s court appearance on the Gold Coast follows police allegations Baluch was in Sydney for most of his time on the run and at one point hatched a plan to escape NSW Police by sailing from Wollongong.

Police are investigating whether after abandoning the Wollongong scheme, Baluch instead hoped to sail to Thailand from Queensland before escaping to the Balkans area of Europe.

The 33-year-old was on the run for more than two weeks.

“The police strategy was to put enough pressure on him and his associates for him to make a mistake,” detective superintendent Rob Critchlow told NCA NewsWire.

His arrest at Tweed Heads was the culmination of the manhunt that has been described as one of Australia’s most intensive.

Police searched high and low for Baluch, checking out leads in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

But as they now piece together the details of his time on the run, it turns out the likeliest theory is he was close to home the entire time.

Police believe the northern beaches man stayed in the city but frequently moved around different neighbourhoods before setting out for the northern state border hidden in the truck.

It can be revealed that police suspect Baluch visited the inner city and also at least one of the two homes that police raided last week in Potts Hill and Yagoona in southwestern Sydney.

“Desperate” to leave the country, his escape plans were believed to have included boarding a flight from Bankstown Airport, and sailing out from Wollongong, police said.

But those plans were thwarted.

NSW Police detective superintendent Rob Critchlow said more arrests were likely. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles

The intensive and public search for Baluch caused other alleged underworld figures to consider him “hot”, which helped police gather information about his whereabouts.

It also prevented the fugitive from carefully planning his escape.

When officers stopped the truck in which he tried to cross the border, the vehicle stuck out to them because it wasn’t properly locked.

The truck driver was an alleged associate of Baluch’s who had access to the vehicle because he ran a shipping company.

The 46-year-old Sutherland Shire man was charged with intending to pervert the course of justice and refused bail.

Mr Critchlow declined to specify what possible connection the two men had before the truck trip.

“They probably share some similar business interests,” he said.

The information police have gathered during the manhunt will likely lead to more people being arrested, he said.

“We’re working on a few other people - there’ll certainly be more arrests and seizures of property.”

Baluch was previously arrested in June and charged by NSW authorities with a string of offences including supplying a prohibited drug and dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Originally published as Mostafa Baluch’s escape plans allegedly included sailing from Wollongong