A Melbourne man who fled the country on a fake passport to evade his cocaine importation trial will be released from custody within months.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Omer Tok, 47, was arrested six years after his alleged involvement in a $60 million cocaine bust off the coast of Port Fairy.
The Standard previously reported 16 men were arrested in January 2017 and 187kg of cocaine seized under Operation Barada with assistance from Maritime Border Command.
The drugs, believed to be worth $60 million, were located on board the Kaiyo Maru No.8 which was detected hundreds of kilometres south of Port Fairy.
Police alleged the 187kg of cocaine was brought to Australia on a commercial vessel and was expected to be collected at sea by a Melbourne-based syndicate for distribution across Australia.
The Standard reported at the time the organised crime syndicate had experienced bizarre disorganisation, including a boat that fell from a trailer on the drive from Melbourne to Port Fairy, and a fishing vessel becoming stuck on a reef in the waters off Griffiths Island in Port Fairy.
Police had alleged the wreck, which occurred on the appropriately named Shipwreck Coast, marked the syndicate's final attempt at collecting the cocaine.
That allegedly led to the raid of Kaiyo Maru and the discovery of the drugs.
Tok then fled Australia using someone else's passport in May 2018.
He later pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining an Australian travel document and on March 26, 2024, was sentenced in the County Court to three years' jail.
But he will be released on a recognisance order after 15 months in custody, seven of which he has already served.
Tok's decision to obtain a passport under a fake name and flee to Turkey days out from his drug trial starting was a serious example of a serious offence, Judge Gavan Meredith said.
Tok was charged with conspiring to import the 187kg of cocaine into Australia in January 2017 and released on bail a month later.
His trial was due to start in late May 2018, but he never showed up, instead leaving Australia on a passport obtained under a fake name.
He fled to Turkey but was immediately conscripted into the nation's military, where the cocaine and methamphetamine addict was forced to abstain from drugs.
After his two years of service, he spent a further three years living with a cousin before voluntarily returning to Australia in September 2023, using a passport in his name.
Tok was immediately remanded in custody on the charges of importing cocaine and dishonestly obtaining a travel document.
The drug charge was discontinued two months later following an application from his lawyers.
Judge Meredith accepted Tok no longer abused drugs due to his time on the run but said his rehabilitation carried less weight than it normally would.
He also noted the 47-year-old's guilty plea, which he said demonstrated a preparedness to facilitate justice.
As part of his recognisance release order, Tok must provide a $5000 surety to the court and be of good behaviour for three years.
- with Australian Associated Press
