Escape route blocked for alleged drug lord

AN alleged Turkish Cypriot drug lord wanted in Australia attempted to cross into the government-controlled areas but fled back north when police discovered he was wanted in Australia, it emerged yesterday.

Hakan Ayik, 32, described as one of Australia’s most wanted men by the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, had tried to go through the Ayios Dhometios checkpoint 10 days ago, but legged it back to the north when officers realised he was wanted on an international arrest warrant.

A second Turkish Cypriot who was with him was release after questioning, state broadcaster CyBC reported yesterday.

Reports said the officers had fired their weapons against him but missed.

Ayik has been on the run since August when Australian police issued a warrant for his arrest after a two-year organised crime investigation.

Sources quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday said he was staying on the move and trying to visit only countries with which Australia has no extradition treaty, such as Turkey.

But police in Hong Kong did manage to arrest Ayik’s business partner Man Kong ”Mark” Ho who was found there in September. The two have been linked to numerous drug imports into Australia over the past three years.

The newspaper also said Ayik is known for displaying his activities on his internet social networking sites including Facebook.

While under investigation, he posted two travel videos on his Facebook site, including one which showed him driving in expensive cars and partying with prostitutes.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.