Police have targeted a high ranking biky boss living overseas in a major drug bust on
the Central Coast Tom Saker is at Sydney police Center for us this evening Tom who are they after biky boss Mark ble is back on Australian soil and in police custody charged with importing $40 million worth of cocaine not a police raid or a Rivals betrayal but a surprising event that pulled down a legendary drug boss it was 2010 his world turned upside down when British tourists disrespected his wife this incident sent him into hiding and eventually led to his arrest this is the story of Mark Buttle Buttle was born in 1984 in marbra Australia growing up tough he turned to Crime early on and even spent time in juvenile prison by the age of 21 Mark became part of the infamous keros a notorious biker gang known for its deep ties to Australia’s
criminal underworld drug smuggling ranks high among their crimes but they also engage in extortion contract killings money laundering and robberies to earn money Mark was always Keen to climb the ranks within the keros and carve out a reputation for himself in March 2009 the then leader of the club Mick hoe was arrested for his role in a notorious airport fight where a member of the Rival Hell’s Angels gang was killed Mick Ho’s arrest left a void in the Cero’s leadership and daac Dax nkuru stepped in as the new boss dubbed the Supreme Commander this could have been Mark’s chance to take the lead but his time hadn’t arrived yet and he had other worries on his plate early one Monday morning on June 7th 2010 59-year-old Gary alabon was doing his job in a cash in transit van when he pulled up to the Commonwealth Bank ATM Gary Alban’s day had begun just 2 hours before as was his
custom he expressed his love to his wife Monica with a sweet note left on the kitchen counter of their home in Kira then headed out his arrival at the Commonwealth Bank was supposed to be just another routine part of his day where he and a colleague were tasked with loading $300,000 into the ATMs however their routine was abruptly disrupted when three armed men stormed in commanding them to raise their hands demanded all the cash cassettes and Gary and his colleague complied both Men followed their training perfectly not resisting and cooperating fully yet a tragic and unnecessary act followed with his back to the robbers and His Hands raised posing no threat one Robber shockingly decided to shoot Gary in the back a single shot was fired and Gary collapsed the shooter then snatched Gary’s work-issued firearm and along with his accomplice sprinted to a waiting silver Audi S8 where a fourth accomplice was ready to drive them away Gary was quickly taken to the Royal Prince Alfred hospital but he died soon after arrival just 3 hours after he left his house his wife Monica turned on the TV for the 7 a.m.
News and heard about a security guard shot during a cash delivery feeling a sudden nausea she realized she had lost Gary her husband of 25 years adding to the Heartbreak Gary was only 8 months away from retirement later the Audi used in The Escape was found burned out intriguingly close to the Commander’s Clubhouse due to the sheer brutality of the ACT authorities offered a 100,000 reward to help crack the case we think we know what happened that day and we have a good guess who was behind the masks but we need the community’s help to solidify our case Beyond any doubt be clear this was not a botched robbery Gary alabon did everything they asked and yet he was mercilessly killed they stated detective Grant Taylor highlighted the significance of a particular event marking it as pivotal to understanding the entire case in late December 2010 close to 1:00 a.m.
A huge fire erupted at Coogi in a tattoo shop on coji Bay Road nearly 30 people living nearby had to flee their homes as emergency crews battled the intense Flames a couple living next door described their Panic as police burst into their apartment to evacuate them fortunately the fire was brought under control with no injuries reported however it soon became apparent that the fire was intentionally set Witnesses saw the Shop’s front window break followed by a petrol bomb being thrown inside owned by duax Mark and another partner kuji ink was deliberately targeted to understand the motive behind this attack we need to look further back in the story like many biker gangs the kantos had enemies including the motorcycle club the trouble might have started in 2008 when a car belonging to Alan sarcus the leader of a rival gang called notorious exploded and attack many think the kantos were behind over the next 2 years these gangs kept clashing police think the fire at koogi Inc a tattoo shop was Revenge by the notorious gang however no one has been charged with the crime as tensions Rose and police pressure increased the leader of the keros daak Dax and gakuru moved to Turkey in 2011 with Dax gone another gang member named Mark took over as leader Mark felt very powerful as the new leader he believed no one could challenge him or say anything bad about his family this belief was tested on December 18th 2011 at the Spearmint Rhino Gentleman’s Club around 3:00 a.m.
Mark got into a big fight after someone made a rude comment about his mother for a chaotic 2 minutes The Heir at the spearm minint Rhino gentleman’s club was thick with flying fists and flailing kicks in the melee one of Mark’s opponents ended up losing two teeth and another broke his hand just 2 weeks later police swooped in early one morning and arrested mark in court he confessed to causing a ruckus and hurting people even with these serious charges he was allowed to stay free until his sentencing showing just how Tangled his life as a gang leader was only a year after becoming the boss of the kantaros people in the Underworld started whispering that Mark was unpredictable Reckless and not great for their Shady dealings he acts differently from previous leaders keeps only a few close and doesn’t really look out for anyone else someone pointed out this led to more fights within his own gang and sadly one member even lost his life as tensions kept Rising Mark often found himself behind bars in 2013 while he was frequently in and out of prison another member Muhammad hijazi took the opportunity to step up and lead a new branch of the gang in South Sydney fast forward to January 6th 2014 and Mark was in trouble again this time in Queensland he was caught for that big fight back at the club and for making some very serious threats against a police officer and his family in 2012 a few months later he was sentenced to jail for at least 9 months with another 6 months on parole waiting after that Mark’s lawyer Graham Turnbull insisted that Mark shouldn’t be jailed he spoke about Mark’s dedication to his young children and his intentions to marry his girlfriend once free but the judge wasn’t convinced just 5 days after his release on parole Mark was in hot water again in July 2015 he tried to fly out of Australia with his girlfriend and daughter spending over $50,000 to Charter a Belair be20 King aircraft for what was supposed to be a dreamy vacation in Numa complete with a Beachside marriage proposal however their plan hit a snag at Newcastle airport during a routine refuel and passport check Australian Border Force officers decided to search the plane and found over $60,000 in Undeclared cash hidden in various bags Mark was then charged with money laundering and attempting to smuggle more than $10,000 out of the country he tried to shift the blame to his girlfriend claiming she handled the paperwork while he only had a small part of the cash after 2 months in jail he was released again now remember Gary alabon the innocent man killed during an ATM robbery 6 years later without any arrests police named Mark as a person of interest this suspicion is believed to have pushed Mark to leave Australia for good his exit left a gaping hole in the leadership of the keros an outlaw motorcycle gang already struggling with infighting this power vacuum led to intense rivalry among the gang members split between those loyal to Mark abroad and those backing a local leader this division kept the police and the specialized anti-bike unit Strikeforce Raptor very busy as they dealt with ongoing violence within the gangang at the start of 2017 a rift within the keros escalated when Ali Bazi Mark’s right-hand man clashed with another high-ranking member Maizon chandab in response Mark who was abroad asserted his authority over the gang with a forceful text to every member I’m the F in commander of the world no one is to touch another member or set up another chapter without my permission Ali is in charge until I return this power move led mezan chandab to break away taking 20 members with him the fracture heightened tensions and sparked fears of widespread violence in Sydney prompting the police and the strike force Raptor unit to intensify their efforts they launched raids on the homes and vehicles of KERO members and Associates exploiting firearm prohibition orders which allow searches without a warrant meanwhile Mark was enjoying a luxurious lifestyle in Dubai still deeply involved in drug smuggling however by 2020 drug prices in Australia had plummeted significantly cutting into his profits according to the Daily Telegraph Mark initiated the commission modeled after lucky Luciano’s Mafia style operation aiming to establish a drug cartel to manipulate street drug prices and regain control over the lucrative Market Mark gathered some of the biggest names in Australia’s drug trade and sent them a clear message starting in 2021 he planned to form a Sydney Commission to control the drug Market he pointed out that meth prices had wildly fluctuated in 2020 falling from $250,000 to $80,000 within a month due to a lack of organization and rules to stabilize the market Mark proposed taxing the drug Imports of these major players in exchange he promised a safer environment for them to conduct their business and more stable drug prices around the same time NS dollar police not noticed drug prices were Rising again though it wasn’t confirmed if this was directly due to Mark’s new strategy things were looking up for Mark business was improving however Mark’s life in Dubai ended suddenly after 5 years due to a dramatic incident Witnesses reported that an English tourist inappropriately touched Mark’s wife Mel which understandably enraged Mark Mark found himself fleeing to North Cyprus a place only reconised by turkey and with no EXT in treaty with Australia seemingly the perfect hute exiled Sydney Bary boss Mark ble has clashed with English tourists in Dubai Vision posted on Instagram shows the heavily tattooed commero at the back appearing to spit and Shout threats as restaurant staff try to separate the groups however his Sanctuary didn’t last on jully 9th 2022 authorities in North Cyprus arrested him and swiftly sent him off to Turkey the reason the northern Cyprus interior Ministry declared him a threat to public peace and security despite his claims and his lawyers arguments that local politicians were shaking him down for money money that he paid but only led to more demands turkey didn’t keep him long by August 2022 he was deported back to Australia and arrested right away for a major crime importing a whopping 160 kg of cocaine into Melbourne back in May 2021 worth around 40 million Australian million court documents also showed that between March and June 2021 Mark was busy planning to bring even more illegal drugs into the country now he’s facing several charges each serious enough to potentially keep him in prison for life the investigation into the death of Gary alaban who was shot during an ATM Heist is still ongoing in 2020 the reward for information will soar from $100,000 to a whopping $1,000,000 however as as of 2024 no one has been prosecuted it appears that Mark’s future is dark and it’s unclear if he will ever be connected to that previous crime
