Mostafa Baluch charged after touching down in Sydney

The drug kingpin accused has been charged hours after arriving at the same airport police originally believed he flew out of Sydney from.

Millionaire restaurateur Mostafa Baluch has been charged, hours after a heavily-escorted arrival in Sydney from Coolangatta Airport.

The 33-year-old, who was wanted by police for an alleged breach of bail after a multi-agency search spanning several states over 16 days, has been charged with an outstanding arrest warrant.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Central Local Court today.

New world-leading capabilities created by the Australian Federal Police provided the crucial last piece of information that led to Baluch’s arrest, a week after they also assisted in the Cleo Smith search.

While state and federal authorities can often overstate their own efforts or downplay others’ involvement, it was a united front after the accused drug kingpin was arrested on Wednesday.

“I can’t say what it was but they provided us the final piece of the puzzle,” one police source said.

Mostafa Baluch arriving at Bankstown Airport on Thursday night after an extradition flight from Queensland, where he was arrested. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mostafa Baluch is arrested after Queensland police, acting on information, check trucks crossing the border from NSW.

Police returned Baluch to NSW on Thursday night, ironically on-board a Polair plane into Bankstown Airport.

In the days after Baluch vanished on October 25, initially investigations suggested he may have taken a late night “private flight” out of the same airport — a line of inquiry that was later proven not to have been accurate.

Baluch was allegedly hiding in a car within a container being driven by a truck across the border.

Because he is unvaccinated police were unable to fly Baluch to Sydney commercially and initially planned for a secure convoy of vehicles to drive him south.

But those plans were abandoned due to concerns about a travelling media circus and the time it would take for the journey.

Mostafa Baluch. Picture: Facebook

Baluch leaves Southport Watchhouse on the Gold Coast on Thursday morning. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

Baluch faced Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday morning where police successfully applied for him to be extradited to NSW.

He appeared in court via speaking phone, muttering only the words: “Yes, I can hear you”.

Baluch’s lawyer Nicholas Andrews did not oppose the application of NSW Police for his extradition.

At 4.05pm, chained at the hands and feet, and wearing an olive green prison tracksuit, Baluch was put on the Polair plane at Coolangatta Airport bound for Bankstown, where he arrived just after 7pm.

His next stop, after arriving in Sydney, will be Silverwater jail.

The ongoing police investigation around Baluch were not isolated to the northern state, with officers carrying out a dawn raid on a trucking company linked to Jovanco “John” Kitanovski, the man accused of knowingly driving the truck in which he attempted to flee.

Dozens of officers descended on Kit Bros Trucking yard at Liverpool from about 6am on Thursday, having spent several hours there the night before to seize CCTV they hope may answer questions about how Baluch allegedly tried to flee.

Kitanovski spent the night in custody after being refused bail at Grafton Local Court on Wednesday.