Tony Haddad claims he was tortured and shocked in Turkish jail

An organised crime figure who was the subject of an international manhunt claims he was tortured and given electric shocks while being held in a Turkish prison.

An organised crime figure who was the subject of an international manhunt after failing to appear in court in 2020 over drug importation offences claims he was tortured and given electric shocks while being held in a Turkish prison.

Tony Haddad’s hands shook uncontrollably as he appeared in court from a jail cell last week, after he was deported back to Australia in December last year following a major operation by the Australian Federal Police.

Haddad, 46, went into hiding while on trial for his role in allegedly importing safrole oil, a banned substance that could produce more than 2 million MDMA tablets.

The AFP believed Haddad fled Australia in June last year, before ending up in Turkey.

Turkish authorities caught Haddad trying to leave the country on a fake passport in August and detained him after establishing his true identity.

Tony Haddad claims he was tortured while being held in a Turkish prison. Picture: AFP

He spent months in a Turkish prison — where he claims he was tortured — and was deported in December to face trial over the importation allegations.

However, on the day his trial was set to begin this week, Haddad switched his plea to guilty, admitting to one charge of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled precursor.

He again appeared unwell and flustered, fidgeting as he entered the guilty plea.

Haddad was originally arrested in September 2011.

The investigation allegedly found the safrole in containers labelled as hair and cleaning products imported from China the same year.

The charge — to which Haddad has pleaded guilty — carries a maximum jail sentence of 25 years.

Haddad was brought back to Australia on the same plane as alleged Islamic State terrorist Neil Prakash, who was also deported by Turkey.

Mark Buddle was also deported back to Australia after being held by Turkish authorities.

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