Hakan Ayik: Australia’s most wanted fugitive is a step closer to being captured

One of Australia’s most wanted men who has evaded police for more than a decade is one step closer to being captured after his assets were frozen.

Fugitive Hakan Ayik remains on the run in Turkey but authorities are closing in.

Hundreds of bank accounts, homes, properties and companies that are owned by dual-Australian citizens have been obtained in Turkey.

Their owners, many of which who have ties to the underworld, have been told to prove how they were legally obtained.

Among the assets that have been frozen is the Kings Cross Hotel in Istanbul, which is part-owned by Ayik and a location he has been known to frequent.

Ayik (pictured) is alleged to be one of the largest drug dealers in the world has managed to evade police for more than a decade

Ayik, who is estimated to have around $1 billion in assets, is one of the most wanted men in the world.

The 44-year-old is alleged to be one of the largest drug dealers in the world and is believed to have links to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.

In 2021, the drug kingpin unwittingly gave police direct access to the criminal underworld by encouraging his colleagues to use the encrypted AN0M messaging app.

The FBI AN0M sting landed hundreds in jail as a global drug syndicate was dismantled but Ayik managed to avoid capture, abandoning his glamorous Dutch wife Fleur Messelink, two young sons and his home to do so.

Ayik has also managed to evade being detained, despite the arrests of his close associates in the last 12 months, Mark Buddle and Duax Ngakuru.

In 2021 the drug kingpin unwittingly gave police direct access to the criminal underworld by encouraging his colleagues to use the encrypted AN0M messaging app, which led to the FBI arresting hundreds and resulting in Ayik to ditch his wife and children to avoid capture 

Ayik has also managed to evade being detained despite the arrests of his close associates in the last 12 months, Mark Buddle (pictured) and Duax Ngakuru

The Saturday Telegraph reported until recent times criminals were paying corrupt Turkish authorities one per cent of their earnings to ensure their continued freedom.

The country has been a haven for major underworld figures, including Australians with bikie links, across the last decade.

After meeting with Turkish authorities last month, AFP Assistant Commissioner Nigel Ryan said detaining Ayik was the top priority.

‘He’s living the high life, he’s fat and rich off the drug sales that are coming into Australia, killing our kids,’ Asst Comm Ryan said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the AFP for comment.