Police officers allegedly posing as FBI agents are reported to have arrested one of Australia’s most wanted men, Comanchero bike-gang chief Mark Buddle in Turkish-occupied Cyprus, where a number of Australian fugitives are reportedly living.
In reports by the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph on Sunday, Mark Buddle, aged 44 who fled Australia in 2016, was caught returning to his hideout on the island on Saturday, 9 July, after he had gone to meet with a high-profile leader of the organisation in Germany.
The reports stated that Buddle may have been arrested at gun point by local police officers. The Daily Telegraph quoted a local law enforcement source who said the officers may have posed as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents either to “kick him out of the country” or to extort money from him. Initial reports stated that the FBI had carried out the operation, but this was denied by the FBI.
The newspaper said Buddle had been in Cyprus for a while and had been involved in an incident with local police some months before which made front-page news and attracted unwanted attention on him.
A Turkish newspaper, Bakirkoy Gazetesi, reported that Buddle arrived on the island on 30-day visa before receiving a resident’s permit. The newspaper claimed the Australian fugitive was worth $100 million. It went on to allege that while he had made no investments, “… it is now certain someone inside the state is protecting (him).”
Buddle took over the leadership of the Commancheros in 2009. He left Australia for Dubai in 2016 after he was linked to the 2010 shooting death of an armoured guard, Gary Allibon.
In 2018, he went to Greece following the execution of John Macris who was linked to the Sydney crime world. He returned to Dubai that year. In 2021 he left the city after he a video showing him in a fight with tourists at a local resort.
Buddle was reported to have travelled to Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey before settling in Turkish-occupied Cyprus. He left in July to meet with a high-ranking member of the Commancheros in Germany.
The Daily Mail reported that the exiled Buddle was missing his daughters who were living in Australia.
