Police close in on suspects in unsolved murder of horse trainer Les Samba
A DRUG dealer close to Tony Mokbel and a Bandidos bikie associate have been linked to the unsolved murder of horse trainer Les Samba.
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A DRUG dealer close to Tony Mokbel and a Bandidos bikie associate have been linked to the unsolved murder of horse trainer Les Samba.
Purana taskforce detectives believe the Melbourne organised crime figures were integral to the planning and execution of Mr Samba, who was shot dead on Beaconsfield Pde, Middle Park, in 2011.
The Herald Sun can also reveal calls made to Mr Samba the day before he was murdered, from a Post Office pay phone, could hold vital clues to the killer.
It is understood Victoria Police has CCTV of a person of interest buying a phone card from a newsagent to make the calls to Mr Samba.
Authorities also believe the two suspects are behind widespread horse-doping, including the use of cobalt.
Purana taskforce detectives have asked racing and crime figures around the country what they know of the pair they are seeking.
One is a suspected drug trafficker, high-level punter and money launderer who is a former associate of drug lord Tony Mokbel.
He is regarded as a shrewd judge of horse flesh and well-connected within the industry.
The other is a close friend of a prominent former Bandido motorcycle gang member.
Operation Gormand detectives investigating the Samba killing have also quizzed NSW harness racing figures, associates of Samba, whose horses have recorded extremely high levels of cobalt.
The NSW men, harness racehorse owners, have connections to high-profile cobalt horse doping cases and one of their reinsmen has links with the Mokbel associate. The Herald Sun revealed in March that police suspect an interstate organised crime cell ordered the Samba murder.
The Melbourne horse-doping suspects are believed to have been instrumental in its planning and execution.
Calls to Mr Samba from a pay phone at a post office in Melbourne’s inner suburbs remain of significant interest to investigators.
The Herald Sun understands there is CCTV footage from a newsagency of a person of interest buying a phone card to make the calls on Saturday, February 26.
A day after the calls, Samba was dead.
There were also calls to Mr Samba from an interstate phone booth before his Melbourne visit.
It is unclear whether those calls are connected but it is likely someone was trying to keep contact with him untraceable.
Police earlier this year revealed other calls — one from a pay phone in New South Wales — were made to the homicide squad about the Samba killing.
That caller nominated a person connected to the New South Wales crime gang.
Investigators were also interested at one stage in suspected misinformation peddled about who may have been responsible for Mr Samba’s demise.
They have questioned the motives of that information being circulated and who it may have benefited.
A $1 million reward is in place for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of those involved in the killing.