Hells Angel Angelo Pandeli is ‘held in Dubai’

Australia’s most wanted man, Hells Angels senior player Angelo Pandeli, has reportedly been captured in the Middle East.

The 52-year-old has reportedly been held in Dubai for the past 24 hours, but it is not yet clear whether he will face charges.

Pandeli is regarded as a major player in the international drug scene and one of the largest importers of cocaine and methamphetamine into Australia.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission reported in 2021 that he was part of a syndicate that smuggled $1.5 billion worth of drugs into Australia every year.

Pandeli left Australia in 2018 but remained under close surveillance by authorities as he travelled through the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

He is one of many high-profile Australian criminal figures who have chosen to buy property and settle with their families in Dubai.

The 52-year-old is said to have brought together leaders of several gangs to do business using Dubai as a base, the Herald Sun reports.

In a photo taken during a day of boating with the family, Pandeli poses with his wife and children, with the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel in the background.

In a photo taken during a day of boating with the family, Pandeli poses with his wife and children, with the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel behind them (pictured)

Pandeli (pictured leaving a Sydney court in 2017) was reportedly arrested in Dubai in the past 24 hours, but it is unclear whether he will be detained or charged.

The major development came just days before the accused gang leader was due to travel to Cancun, Mexico for a major Hells Angels meeting.

Senior members were expected to discuss drug imports into Australia and celebrate links with the Nomads, another Australian motorcycle club.

Pandeli would be joined by Hells Angels bikers from Thailand, Canada, the Netherlands, Russia and Eastern Europe.

It is not yet clear whether he will attend the meeting, which will likely take place at a multi-story clubhouse in Cancun and begin on September 5.

The meeting was also expected to attract leaders of other motorcycle gangs interested in doing business with the Hells Angels.

In 2017, Pandeli was acquitted of tax fraud after allegedly failing to file a tax return for the 2014-15 tax year and ignoring a notice from the Australian Taxation Office.

According to his accountant, he had filed a tax return for Pandeli, but his software had failed to alert him when the return was not submitted correctly.

The tax fraud charges against Pandeli were part of Operation Morpheus, the largest multi-agency operation against criminal motorcycle gangs in Australia’s history.

In April, Jason Fahey, a high-ranking member of the Hells Angels (pictured with model and influencer Chaye Connelly), was arrested during a raid on his Sydney waterfront home

Operation Morpheus is a national initiative to tackle organised crime, including criminal motorcycle gangs.

In 2018, Pandeli’s sprawling home was searched on suspicion of a plot to import $250 million worth of ice into Australia in a light aircraft.

In the 2000s he joined the Hells Angels, rising to national chairman when he moved from Adelaide to Sydney.

In April, Jason Fahey, a senior member of the Hells Angels, was arrested during a raid on his waterfront home in Five Dock in Sydney’s west.

He was previously the national president of the Bandidos, but was transferred to the Hells Angels last year.

The Hells Angels are the largest motorcycle gang in the world, with nearly 4,000 members spread across 475 chapters in more than 60 countries.