How ‘Most wanted man’ Hakan Ayik got away from police in 2010

More than a decade ago Hakan Ayik was in the grasp of police in Europe on steroid charges, but this missed opportunity saw him grow into the most wanted man in Australia.

AS police struggle to stop the bikie drug trade and arrest fugitive gang leaders on the run overseas, it can be revealed for the first time how one of our most wanted men slipped through their fingers.

Twelve years ago Australian authorities thought they had drug lord Hakan Ayik in their grasp until he slipped the net in Europe and went on the run.

And these pictures, never seen before in Australia, prove how close Australian authorities were to stopping drug lord Hakan Ayik 12 years ago.

Since that missed opportunity, Ayik has become a feared underworld figure and is implicated in drug plots around the globe.

Police believe he now bounces from country to country, operating a criminal empire from overseas that has seen drugs worth hundreds of millions imported into Australia.

Ayik, when he fronted court in Cyprus and shortly fled on bail.

It is understood Australian police have had a warrant for his arrest since 2009 under Operation Hoffman and the FBI in America has recently indicted him on organised crime charges that carry a maximum 20-year jail term.

Key to his operation are his links to the Comanchero bikie gang and several Australian fugitives who have aligned themselves with Ayik.

He was arrested after a two-month hunt for Ayik.

For the better part of the last decade police say they have linked him to drug syndicates from India to China and Tonga.

But we could have put a stop to his crimes almost 12 years ago when the then 32-year-old Ayik was wanted over a $50 million shipment of heroin into Sydney.

He had been arrested by police in Northern Cyprus and charged with drug offences.

In a dramatic arrest, sources said police raided his hotel room but did not find him, then quickly hid again and struck the next day, busting down the door with guns raised.

He is now considered Australia’s most wanted man.

A muscled Ayik smirked as he was paraded before the court and hit with drugs charges.

And he had the last laugh when he was given bail of $63,000 – and immediately fled the country for Dubai before it was safe to return to Turkey and set up a life for himself there.

He is understood to have found passage on a ship out of the small island nation.

A police source said it was likely Ayik “engaged in corruption” through bribing police to get out of the country.

Inside the hotel room police found eight mobile phones, a series of different anabolic steroids and laboratory equipment.

According to reports at the time Ayik made a statement to police and nominated the pharmacies where he sourced the drugs, breaking an unwritten underworld rule of not talking.

Once away he taunted police with a post on Facebook captioned: “Catch me if you can”.

Hakan Ayik at a pharmaceutical factory in India where he is alleged to have purchased drug precursors.

Police sources said since his role in spreading the law enforcement Trojan horse app “ANOM” was revealed last year, Ayik abandoned his stronghold in Istanbul but is likely still in the Middle East.

Ironically Ayik’s humiliating escape proved to be the downfall of Comanchero boss Mark Buddle.

He was also hiding in Northern Cyprus until he was captured. This time Australian Federal Police were determined not to repeat what happened with Ayik.

It is understood police used their experience with Ayik in the same country 12 years earlier to ensure they got their man this time around.

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