Mostafa Baluch: Alleged drug lord discusses plea deal

A millionaire who was caught trying to flee authorities in a car parked in a shipping container has been pondering a potential plea deal.

The millionaire former fugitive and alleged drug lord who was caught trying to flee police in a Mercedes parked inside a shipping container has begun discussing a potential plea deal with authorities, a court been told.

Mostafa Baluch was allegedly a driving force behind an attempt to import an estimated 900 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, worth an estimated $270m.

Mostafa Baluch triggered a police manhunt while he was on bail. Picture: Facebook

He was found hiding in the back of this vehicle. Picture: NSW Police

The former owner of the Cervo restaurant has entered no pleas to a string of charges that include conspiring to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice, using equipment connected to a network to commit a serious offence and dealing with suspected proceeds of crime.

He was granted strict conditional bail after the charges were initially laid, but police allege he cut off an ankle bracelet tracking device before triggering a 16-day manhunt last year.

Mr Baluch, 34, was eventually caught hiding in the back of a Mercedes that was parked in a shipping container on the back of a truck located on the NSW-Queensland border.

The container and car at the scene where Mr Baluch was rearrested. Picture: NSW Police

Police believe he may have been planning to set sail out of Australia and flee to the Balkans area of Europe.

Mr Baluch has been remanded in custody since he was arrested again and his case was mentioned briefly in Sydney’s Central Local Court on Wednesday.

No lawyer appeared on his behalf and Mr Baluch was also absent.

Mr Baluch was flown to Sydney after he was extradited from Queensland following his dramatic arrest. Picture: Richard Dobson

Magistrate Alison Viney said an email had been received from Mr Baluch’s legal representative who had asked for the case to be adjourned again while another plea discussion took place.

“It’s been listed three times now for committal after case conference and I’m still getting email appearances from the defence saying the matter is having another case conference,” Ms Viney told the court.

“It needs to finish at some point.

”I’m directing the defence solicitor attend on the next occasion.”

The prosecutor who was present in court told Ms Viney that Mr Baluch had been negotiating potential pleas and one of the reasons the case had been delayed was related to the format evidence had been presented in.

“There were … messages served in PDF (format),” the prosecutor said.

“Defence have requested those same messages in Excel form.”

Mr Baluch remains remanded in custody and the case will next be mentioned in court on June 15.

Originally published as Mostafa Baluch: Alleged drug lord discusses plea deal