Australian Hells Angels leader Angelo Pandeli ‘trapped in UAE’

In an unexpected twist in the most unlikely of events, the national chairman of the Australian Hells Angels has reportedly been arrested in Dubai.

Angelo Pandeli, considered ‘Australia’s most wanted man’, was arrested on Wednesday – Australian tabloid The Herald Sun reported.

While it is unknown why Pandeli was detained, it is also unclear whether he has been charged or will be detained.

Pandeli is accused of being an international drug baron and is seen as a global player in the drug market. He is one of the biggest players in the cocaine and methamphetamine scene in Australia.

Like many other high-profile Australian criminals, he left Australia in 2018 and settled in Dubai. He bought a house and moved in with his family, but Australian law enforcement agencies still wanted to arrest him.

According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Pandeli was part of a major drug network that smuggled $1.5 billion worth of drugs into Australia every year.

Pandeli is known for bringing together leaders of different gangs to do business, using Dubai as a base.

The Herald Sun also revealed that Pandeli was expected to travel to Mexico this week for a “large” Hells Angels rally in Cancun.

Senior members of the motorcycle club from Russia, Thailand and the Netherlands are expected to meet there in September.

The meeting was to be held to discuss the importation of drugs into Australia, celebrate links with another group, the Nomads, and attract leaders of other gangs interested in doing business.

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

Pandeli joined the Hells Angels in 2000 and rose to become national chairman after moving to Sydney.