An alleged former senior member of the Comanchero bikie gang has been arrested at Sydney Airport, just weeks after he was named on a list of the some of Australia’s most wanted men.
Daniel Toutounji, 37, was apprehended at 8am on Friday by detectives from State Crime Command’s Raptor Squad and Australian Border Force (ABF) officers, and taken to Mascot Police Station.
He was later charged with “organises/conducts/assists drug premises”, “knowingly/recklessly direct criminal group assist crime”, “supply prohibited drug greater than large commercial quantity”, and “knowingly deal with proceeds of crime”.
Police said Toutounji was wanted in connection with 1kg of cocaine, $95,000 in cash, two machine pistols and three semi-automatic pistols that were allegedly found in a unit in Randwick in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in April 2018.
Toutounji is believed to have been living in the Middle East and Eastern Europe for the past eight years, and police claimed he had returned to Australia to “face justice” due to their recent renewed efforts to track him down.
Raptor Squad commander, Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis, said on Friday that the arrest was a “great result”.
“He was well aware that he was wanted for some serious matters back here in Australia and NSW, so I think it just got too much for him,” he said.
“I know he was under a hell of a lot of pressure that we had placed on him to come back and face justice. There’s no international country that wants to, you know, harbour [alleged] criminals, especially of this serious nature.
“The walls are closing in on these people [allegedly] involved in serious organised crime. We have targets of ours languishing in Iraqi jails, in Lebanese jails, Turkish jails, Filipino jails – they’re not going overseas and expecting to be in Club Med.”
Det Supt Koutsoufis said police would allege that Toutounji once held a high position in the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang, but was no longer a formal member.
He said police were still looking for a second unidentified man in connection to the drug bust who is believed to be in the Middle East.
The other eight men on the NSW most wanted list are still on the run, and include alleged murderers, drug smugglers and gang members.
Header image: Left, Daniel Toutounji’s mugshot. Right, the airport arrest (NSW Police).
