The New South Wales Police Minister has unleashed on the magistrate who granted bail to 'Australia's Pablo Escobar' against the advice of enforcement after he cut off his ankle bracelet and is now on the run.
Against the advice of police, 33-year-old Mostafa Baluch from Sydney's northern beaches was granted bail on Friday, despite facing a lengthy spell in jail if convicted.
Police Minister David Elliott said police involved in the case were 'devastated' and he was furious Baluch had been granted bail.
'To say that I'm infuriated would be an understatement... Because quite frankly this guy was our Pablo Escobar,' he told Sydney radio 2GB on Wednesday.
'I'm starting to get sick of these magistrates and judges. They don't consider the danger which police present to them and I don't think they're reflecting the sentiment of the community they're there to serve.
'I'm sick of having to remind the legal fraternity that we're not dealing with parking tickets, we're dealing with international drug lords who are associated with terrorism, kidnapping and prostitution, but more importantly want our kids to take drugs that will kill them.'
Former restaurateur Mostafa Baluch, 33 (pictured), had been charged with financing a 900kg shipment of cocaine to Australia and was granted bail just days ago
Baluch was arrested in June and charged with being part of a conspiracy to import more than 900kg of cocaine and was in custody until he was granted bail after putting up a $4 million property as surety.
It was a condition of his bail that he wear an electronic monitor but on Monday night he managed to cut off the ankle bracelet, which was found ditched by the side of a road on the northern beaches.
It's believed he left NSW on a private jet that night.
Mr Elliott said he had spoken to Police Commissioner Mick Fuller about the difficulties in capturing the escapee.
'This will be a tough job for the NSW police - make no mistake,' he said.
The Australian Federal Police and its international law enforcement partners are also involved.
'We've got the technology, we've got the manpower, we've got the international law enforcement credentials but of course we've also got to explain to some of those international law enforcement organisations how he was lost,' Mr Elliott said.
Police 'work their guts out to keep our community safe' and had been 'let down by the system', he said.
'We're dealing with international drug lords who are associated with things like terrorism or kidnapping or prostitution,' Mr Elliott said.
'This guy was (allegedly) part of an international racket with levels of drugs we have never seen before. The police expressly advised the court 'he is a bad guy'.
A $4million home in Sydney's exclusive Northern Beaches (pictured in June) will be seized by police after the owner of the property allegedly cut off his tracking device and fled
Officers are pictured at the Bayview home when Baluch was arrested back in June
Police allege he is involved in the 'highest levels of organised crime' and cut off his ankle bracelet at about 10.30pm on Monday.
Organised crime squad commander Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow said the alleged drug kingpin is 'very well connected' and may be receiving help from other alleged criminals.
'To cut a bracelet off your ankle which has been imposed by the court shows a very serious intent to flee,' he told reporters on Tuesday.
'We also know for a fact he has substantial financial assets, which we would expect he's utilising to flee at the least our jurisdiction, maybe the country.
'Anyone in his circle of friends and family should also keep us updated because you can be sure we will be visiting anyone we know is connected to.'
As part of Baluch's strict bail conditions, he was required to stay at his luxurious Bayview home and only leave to report to police at Mona Vale Station once a day.
He was also made to wear an ankle bracelet monitoring device at all times, banned from alcohol and drugs, and restricted from using encrypted apps.
Baluch's bail conditions also warned he was to go near any international departure point.
