Australian Federal Police discuss arrest of Hakan Ayik by Turkish National Police

The Australian Federal Police have praised the efforts of their Turkish counterparts to nab some of the country’s most wanted men, bringing them from their ‘multimillion-dollar mansions’ to jail cells.

The Australian Federal Police have lauded their Turkish counterparts for the arrest of one of Australia's most wanted men as part of a major crackdown on the Comanchero bikie gang.

Hakan Ayik was part of dozens of dawn arrests by Turkish authorities on Thursday morning local time including other Australian figures Hakan Arif, Baris Tukel and Erkan Dogan.

Ayik, known as “Big Hux”, is one of the biggest targets of the FBI and AFP’s investigation into the AN0M encrypted platform and has been living in Turkey since 2010.

AFP Acting Deputy Commissioner Grant Nicholls said some of the arrests by the Turkish National Police during Operation Cage were known not just by the AFP but by other international law enforcement agencies.

“Four of those men are high value targets and another is a New Zealand priority organisation target,” he said.

Hakan Ayik in arrest vision released by Turkish authorities. Picture: Contributed

“Some of the individuals have links and are alleged to be global threats [and are] serious organised criminals who are accused of being behind some of the biggest illicit drug shipments throughout the world.”

The AFP allege those men have connections to the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang and organised crime within Australia as well as overseas.

Turkish police arrest Hakan Arif. Picture: Contributed

“We allege two of those men can source or move illegal shipments of drugs anywhere in the world and we also allege they’ve been involved in numerous drug importations,” he said.

The AFP senior officer said a conservative estimate would be “between 10 to 15 tonnes” of border controlled drugs destined to Australia could be allegedly attributed to some of these men.

Commissioner Nicholls said some individuals allegedly fled Australia to evade the AFP and other policing jurisdictions, and thought they were “untouchable”.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Crime Grant Nicholls and Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan from the AFP. Picture: Sam Turner

He thanked the Turkish National Police for undertaking one of the most significant operations targeting “alleged transnational organised and serious crime in the world”.

The veteran cop said there were a number of high profile individuals now before the courts who have been deported or extradited to Australia.

“Some of these alleged offenders thought they would only live in what could be best be described as multi million dollar mansions, some of them are now sitting in jail cells, awaiting their trial,” Commissioner Nicholls said.

Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan alleged one of the individuals arrested was one of the key distributors of the AN0M phones during Operation Ironside.

“Unwittingly that person has actually (allegedly) distributed phones to his criminal mates and ended up with a number of them sitting in jail as well,” he said.