A New Zealand-born bikie gang boss alleged to be masterminding a global drug empire from Turkey has become the new 鈥淪upreme Commander鈥 of the now worldwide Comanchero motorcycle club.
Duax 鈥淒ax鈥 Hohepa Ngakuru was born in Rotorua but grew up in Sydney where he rose through the ranks of the Comancheros during violent turf wars with ruthless rival gangs.
Now, he has taken over from his close associate Mark Buddle, the Daily Telegraph reports, who was hunted down and deported back to Australia last year, to the top of the feared gang.
Ngakuru, 43, also goes by several aliases, including Negotiator, Bullseye, Chuck Norris and El Mito (The Myth).
He鈥檚 accused of being behind some of the world鈥檚 biggest drug deals and is reportedly controlling business from Turkey, with a wealth estimated to be in excess of $100 million.
Senior New Zealand police officers聽, trying to get them to send the gang kingpin back to his homeland to face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
罢丑别听, showing him living abroad, with one photo showing him sprawled across the stern of a superyacht that is flying a large Turkish flag.
Another picture shows him with his wife Reynee in the back of a car, while another has Ngakuru at dinner with close friend Hakan 鈥淏ig Hux鈥 Ayik, the 鈥淔acebook gangster鈥 who fled Sydney while on bail in 2010 and is also wanted by the FBI, and ex-gang president Mahmoud 鈥淢ick鈥 Hawi who was shot dead by masked assassins in Sydney in 2018.
The Comancheros also have a presence in New Zealand. Photo / File
Ngakuru has been directing 鈥渟enior members鈥 of the Comancheros in both Dubai and Australia, a source told the Telegraph.
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But after Buddle鈥檚 capture, when he was deported from Northern Cyprus to Turkey and then to Australia last August, it鈥檚 believed that Ngakuru may no longer feel Turkey is such a safe haven to operate from.
鈥淒ax will be worried after what happened to Buddle because he is a New Zealand citizen whereas Hux is a Turk so he is probably safe,鈥 one overseas underworld source told the Daily Telegraph.
鈥淚 think everyone thought you were safe in Turkey, but the attitude is changing there if you are not a citizen.鈥
Ngakuru鈥檚 cousin Shane Ellwood Ngakuru 鈥 himself alleged to be a high-ranking New Zealand member of the Comancheros 鈥 is聽in October.
Shane Ngakuru is alleged to have been a key player in聽聽and eventually used to take down hundreds of organised crime figures around the world.
Shane Ngakuru was arrested in Thailand last year and faces extradition to New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
It鈥檚 alleged that Ngakuru was based in Thailand to act as a fixer, or 鈥渟uper-facilitator鈥, between the Comancheros and organised Asian crime syndicates.
Intelligence reports handed to NZ Police tell of transnational drug syndicates using super-facilitators to foster a successful methamphetamine supply chain.
鈥淎 super-facilitator has links to a global network of manufacturers and supply and distribution chains to successfully import methamphetamine to New Zealand,鈥 says a police report, Methamphetamine in New Zealand: What is currently known about the harm it causes, which was circulated last year.
鈥淭he super-facilitator is usually based offshore and is never in direct contact with the shipment.鈥
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