AustraliaABC News & HeadlinesNSW Police announce $250k reward to help find and extradite fugitive crime figure Anthony Pele
NSW Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the capture of alleged gang leader Anthony Pele, believed to be hiding in Vietnam.
Police describe Anthony Pele as one of their highest-priority fugitives, offering $250,000 to associates willing to turn the alleged gang leader over to authorities.
NSW Police announced a $250,000 reward for information to help locate and extradite alleged crime figure Anthony Pele, 25, who fled Australia in 2023.
Pele is alleged to lead the Coconut Cartel and is accused of orchestrating attacks on rival Sydney crime families, a murder, and a foiled $1 billion cocaine kidnap plot.
Police believe Pele is currently in Vietnam and are hoping the reward will prompt associates to come forward via CrimeStoppers.
NSW Police have offered a $250,000 reward to help locate an offshore crime boss allegedly orchestrating the violence plaguing Sydney's streets.
Anthony Pele fled Australia in 2023 and is considered by police to be one of the key figures coordinating attacks on Sydney's Alameddine crime family from overseas.
Mr Pele, 25, is alleged to be leading the self-proclaimed Coconut Cartel, a Pacific Islander gang that takes its name from a historical slur against Pasifika people.
Detectives allege the group is behind a string of attacks on rival crime groups, many of which have been filmed and posted to social media over the past year.
Crime figure behind shooting, kidnapping, drug thefts
Police believe Mr Pele fled the country not long after allegedly shooting dead Ahmad Al-Azzam in July 2023 at Greenacre, in a case of mistaken identity.
Court documents claim Mr Pele was tasked with guarding the home of a Haouchar crime family associate when he mistook Mr Al-Azzam's car for that of a rival crime network and fired multiple shots.
"I acted on my own … if this cocksucker is sitting opposite your mum's house … I had to do it," Pele is allegedly heard saying on a recording device after the shooting.
Since leaving Australia, his name has emerged in cases involving drug thefts and large-scale narcotic importations.
The ABC reported in February that Mr Pele, while overseas in December 2023, was behind a kidnap plot that was set to score associates $1 billion worth of cocaine before it was foiled.
In May, the ABC revealed Mr Pele's globe-trotting taunts to police and underworld adversaries on social media while on the run from authorities.
Police believe Mr Pele is currently in Vietnam.
'250,000 reasons' to turn gangster in
Speaking to reporters this morning, Police Minister Yasmin Catley described Mr Pele as a "horrific criminal".
"Antony Pele is alleged to be a horrific criminal here in NSW and part of the organised crime gangs and organised crime we are seeing in Sydney," Police Minister Yasmin Catley said.
"This reward is significant. It means that someone out there, and we know it, knows something and now we want them to tell the police or indeed they can call CrimeStoppers."
NSW Police State Crime Commander Brett Greentree said there were now "250,000 reasons to come forward".
"He is one of our highest-priority fugitives," Assistant Commissioner Greentree said.
"For more than three years detectives from state crime have worked tirelessly with our international partners to locate and apprehend him. We know the loyalties in criminal groups change.
"And to Anthony Pele my message is really simple we will not stop, time will not make a difference, this will not go away, we will bring you back and ensure you face justice in NSW."
Five minutes for you
More from Cuppa
Bodies recovered after plane crash in remote Nelson regionTwo bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in a remote part of New Zealand's Nelson region on Tuesday.
Bomb threats spark aviation chaos across Europe as armed police meet passengers at Sydney AirportArmed AFP officers met passengers at Sydney Airport after a bomb threat, as nearly 30 flights across Europe were also hit by a wave of similar threats.
$250k reward issued for alleged Coconut Cartel leaderNSW Police have announced a $250,000 worldwide reward for information leading to the arrest of alleged Coconut Cartel leader Anthony Pele, who fled Australia in 2023.
Helen Haines in stable condition, weeks after alleged Wangaratta attackIndependent MP Helen Haines, who lost both legs after an alleged car attack in Wangaratta, has been upgraded to a stable condition in hospital.
Defence Housing Australia revises master plan for Lee Point development after community concernDefence Housing Australia has revised its controversial Lee Point development in Darwin, reducing housing density and setting aside more land for conservation after community pushback.
Elderly woman Eva Geller shot during Bondi terror attack diesEva Geller, 90, who was shot at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack in December 2024, has died from her injuries almost a year later.
Dolly Parton’s manager drops complaint accusing nephew of harassmentA legal complaint accusing Dolly Parton's nephew of threatening her estate has been dropped, with both sides said to have reached a private agreement.
How a toy giraffe helped the Western Bulldogs get back into AFLW finalsThe Western Bulldogs AFLW side has bounced back to finals this year, and a toy giraffe named Sawya has played a surprising role in building team spirit.
What readers are saying