accused cocaine kingpin who allegedly bragged about supplying $30 million of drugs to Australia's A-list of rockers, sports stars and TV personalities will be returned to Australia under heavy guard.The man, whose identity has been suppressed by Victorian courts, is said to have a $1 million bounty on his head. Yesterday he lost his fight against extradition from the Netherlands, where he has been in jail under maximum security since December. It is believed armed police are set to travel to Europe to bring him back to Melbourne. The 40-year-old supergrass fled Australia in May 2004 after becoming a police informant and secretly taping accused murderer Tony Mokbel and others. He told the Supreme Court in the Netherlands yesterday that his life would be in danger if he returned to Australia, not only from former cocaine clients but from corrupt police whom he helped expose. But the court rejected his claim. His extradition is expected within weeks. He can ask for an injunction pending an appeal, but it is unlikely to be granted. Sources close to the supergrass told the Herald Sun yesterday he was considering a new fight to have his case heard in the Netherlands. "He is afraid he will be killed in Australia," a friend said. "The danger comes from both sides. His co-operation with police led to arrests of officers there, so police are not interested in offering him any witness protection. There is a $1 million bounty on his head."
His lawyer yesterday declined to comment but said he could appeal under Article 2 of the United Nations' human rights charter, which protects people from inhumane, degrading and other treatments that threaten life. Australian Federal Police arrested the supergrass in the Netherlands last year as he tried to board a flight to Thailand on a fake passport. He was allegedly the head of a cocaine ring running drugs between Thailand, Canada and Australia.