Australia’s most wanted man, senior Hells Angels Angelo Pandeli, has been reportedly detained in the Middle East.
It’s understood the 52-year-old was held in Dubai in the last 24 hours but it remains unclear whether he will be charged.
Pandeli is considered a major player on the international drug scene and one of Australia’s biggest importers of cocaine and methamphetamine.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission said in 2021 that he was part of a syndicate bringing drugs worth $1.5billion into Australia every year.
Pandeli left Australia in 2018 but has remained under the close eye of authorities as he travelled through the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
He is one of a series of high-profile Australian crime figures who have chosen to buy property and settle down in Dubai with their families
The 52-year-old is credited with bringing leaders of different gangs together to do dealings using Dubai as their base, the Herald Sun reports.
In a photo taken during a family boat day, Pandeli poses with this wife and children with the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel behind them.
In a photo taken during a family boat day, Pandeli poses with this wife and children with the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel behind them (pictured)
It’s understood Pandeli (pictured leaving a Sydney court in 2017) was arrested in Dubai in the past 24 hours but it remains unclear whether he will be held or charged
The major development comes just days before the accused kingpin was due to travel to Cancun in Mexico for a major Hells Angels meet.
Senior members were expected to discuss drug importations into Australia and celebrate links with the Nomads, another Australian bikie group.
Pandeli was due to be joined by Hells Angels bikies based in Thailand, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia and eastern Europe.
It is unclear whether he will attend the gathering, which will most likely be held at a multi-storey clubhouse in Cancun and kick off on September 5.
The meet was also expected to attract leaders from other motorcycle gangs interested in doing business with the Hells Angels.
In 2017, Pandeli was cleared of tax fraud after he allegedly failed to lodge tax returns for the 2014-2015 financial year and ignored a notice from the Australian Tax Office.
His accountant said that while he had lodged a tax return for Pandeli, his software failed to alert him when it was not sent properly.
Pandeli’s tax fraud charges were part of Operation Morpheus; the largest multi-agency operation against outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia’s history.
In April, high-ranking Hells Angels member Jason Fahey (pictured with model and influencer Chaye Connelly) was arrested during a raid on his waterfront home in Sydney
Operation Morpheus is a national initiative designed to crackdown on organised crime, including outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Pandeli’s sprawling home was raided in 2018 over suspicions of a plot to import $250million worth of ice to Australia in a light plane.
He became a Hells Angels in the 2000s and rose from the ranks to national president when he moved from Adelaide to Sydney.
In April, high-ranking Hells Angels member Jason Fahey was arrested during a raid on his waterfront home in Five Dock in Sydney’s inner west.
He was formerly the national president of the Bandidos – but ‘patched over’ to the Hells Angels last year.
The Hells Angels are the world’s largest bikie gang, with almost 4,000 members across an estimated 475 chapters in more than 60 countries.