Fugitive arrested six years after alleged $60m cocaine bust off coast of Port Fairy

Omer Tok, 46, appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates Court on September 5.

The man was arrested two days earlier when he arrived in Melbourne on a flight from Doha.

Police allege he fled Australia in 2018 using someone else's passport. He allegedly spent time in Turkey, Greece and most recently was living in Bulgaria.

The man, who voluntarily returned to Australia, had allegedly been on the run for five years, after disappearing in May 2018 while on bail ahead of facing court over alleged drug import offences.

A warrant was then issued for his arrest.

Mr Tok had been charged as a result of Operation Barada, a major joint investigation into criminal syndicates allegedly attempting to import cocaine into Australia.

In January 2017, 16 men were arrested and 186kg of cocaine seized under Operation Barada with assistance from Maritime Border Command.

The drugs, believed to be worth $60 million, were located on board the Kaiyo Maru No.8 which was detected hundreds of kilometres south of Port Fairy.

Police alleged the 186kg of cocaine was brought to Australia on a commercial vessel and was expected to be collected at sea by a Melbourne-based syndicate for distribution across Australia.

The Standard reported at the time the organised crime syndicate had experienced bizarre disorganisation, including a boat that fell from a trailer on the drive from Melbourne to Port Fairy, and a fishing vessel becoming stuck on a reef in the waters off Griffiths Island in Port Fairy.

Police had alleged the wreck, which occurred on the appropriately named Shipwreck Coast, marked the syndicate's final attempt at collecting the cocaine.

That allegedly led to the raid of Kaiyo Maru and the discovery of the drugs.

Mr Tok was charged over his alleged role in the plot.

His charges include attempting to import cocaine, possessing a tablet press and alleged offences relating to dishonestly obtaining an Australian passport.

The maximum penalty for attempting to import a border controlled drug is life imprisonment.

Mr Tok did not apply for bail in court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on November 27.

Detective Superintendent Jason McArthur, of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), said the seizure of the 186kg of cocaine in 2017 prevented "millions of dollars of drug profit from flowing back into a transnational criminal syndicate to fund other illegal ventures".

"Illicit drugs make our communities less safe - criminals' territorial drug disputes put innocent people at risk, drug-affected drivers are a menace on the roads and the money spent on illicit drugs diverts millions of dollars from the legitimate economy," he said.

"Police are dedicated to bringing to justice anyone allegedly involved in the trafficking of illicit drugs because of the harm they caused in Australian communities, even if the crimes happened years earlier."

Detective Superintendent McArthur said the AFP was also working closely with law enforcement partners around the world to "track down and bring to justice anyone involved in this harmful crime".

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