Inside the Life of Angelo Pandeli: The Hells Angel Who Became Australia's Cocaine Kingpin

when it comes to pop culture's romantic obsession with gangs one of the most revered and intriguing has to be the motorcycle gang the Hell's Angels across the small screen and the big screen the idea of biker gangs has captivated audiences around the world and is perhaps second only to the New York mafia when it comes to popularity in Australia Angelo pandeli is one of the most notorious figures in the Underworld of organized crime his rise to a position of global Renown is in no small part due to his alliances with the Hell's Angels that and the kinahan drug cartel he's aligned with pandeli is implicated in the large scale importation of cocaine into Australia collaborating closely with the kinahan gang he orchestrates the smuggling of colossal quantities of cocaine from the jungles of Colombia to the bustling markets of Europe via Ireland his operations have flooded Australia with cocaine at unprecedented levels according to the Australian criminal intelligence commission reports on profit generated by cocaine sales tells you all you need to know pandeli is very good at what he does and business is booming despite being under constant surveillance by the Australian federal police for over a decade pandeli remains elusive operating from the relative sanctuary of Dubai while expanding his criminal Empire across the globe escaping capture as one of the most Wanted men in Australia Today he wasn't always a drug lord though he has risen from the bottom all the way to the top top and his strategic mind is widely respected so where did this man come from and how did he get to the top of Australia's cocaine [Music] trade pel's formative years in Adelaide were where the path laid out in front of him was formed born to Turkish immigrant parents Constantino and Ma pandel Angelo gained a businessman's head very early in his life his family's Pub chain exposed him to running a business on a day-to-day basis it also showed him the darker sides of society after all drinking establishments often pay host to those who operate on the wrong side of the law The Sundowner hotel in particular exposed Angelo to power influence and the various things that might draw someone into the underworld that early exposure may have opened pel's eyes to some of what was going on in Adelaide's criminal networks but that wasn't where he entered the world of the Criminal it was a love for biky culture which developed during his adolescent years working in his parents' pubs that started him on the path he became completely enthralled in the culture the fascination started as he was introduced to individuals who lived their lives out on the fringes that always seemed to be where Angelo saw himself too he wasn't destined to do a normal job and live a normal life he would end up out there on the fringes of society and he would make a success of himself that's when he met John Pike and things began to fall into place at the time Pike was a dominant figure in Adelaide's biky scene his influence was absolutely instrumental in taking Angelo's interest in the culture and bringing him into that culture as a participant Pike employed pandeli as a nightclub Bouncer and he was provided with an entry point into the shadowy world of the Hell's Angels he got to know how the gang worked from this position how they operated and what their culture and structure were like he quickly became a popular figure himself all those years spending time in his parents' pubs had paid off he knew how to talk to people and work out who the right people to talk to were it wasn't long before a determined and driven Angelo started to rise up the ranks of the gang and Gain real power just quickly if you're enjoying this video so far please consider subscribing and liking this video it really helps me out and helps the Channel grow pel's early career as a bodyguard gave him the foothold he needed within the organization his good relationship with Pike and the trust gained from doing a good job as a bodyguard led to Pike taking pandeli under his wing under Pike's tutelage pandeli became completely committed to the gang's culture he had gained an innate and invaluable understanding of the structure and the nuances of its operations his unwavering loyalty and a keen business sense meant that by the mid 2000s pandeli had built a position as a formidable and well-liked figure within the Hell's Angels and his influence started spreading and extending beyond the confines of just his home city of Adelaide soon he was running an operation by himself taking control in Sydney to great effect pel's leadership has greatly influenced the Hell's Angels in Australia particularly in the context of organized crime and the drug trade as the president of the Hell's Angels in Sydney pandeli became a central figure in the Australian criminal underworld and he became known for his strategic Acumen and ability to consolidate power within the Gang This leadership role provided him with the authority and influence necessary to expand the gang's operations under pel's leadership the Hell's Angels have been implicated in growing their influence over Australia's drug trade particularly in the distribution of cocaine pel's role in these operations has been vital leveraging his connections and Leadership skills to oversee and manage the gang's criminal Enterprises his entrepreneurial Spirit which he can thank his parents for added together with the infrastructure of the Hell's Angels men Angelo was able to gain wealth and power quickly he had the network in place across Australia making it easy for him to distribute drugs predominantly cocaine and become the key player in the Australian Market this led to him becoming known as the Australian Godfather of crime by some news outlets his powerful position was later bolstered even further by a strategic Alliance he made with the notorious kinahan drug cartel but we'll get to that a little later on despite the success of his operations pandeli has faced plenty of challenges from law enforcement agencies both in Australia and Beyond over the years the Australian federal police of AFP have been monitoring pandeli for over a decade and he is listed on austral A's priority organization targets list pel's extensive criminal history dates back to his time as the president of the Sydney Hells Angels chapter and he's been known to the AFP since those days this all led to a decade long cat and mouse game for the Australian federal police and other agencies as they tried to pin their man as a significant and very well-known figure in Australian organized crime particularly in drug trafficking pandeli has been under intense scrutiny by author ities aiming to dismantle his operations and bring him to Justice over the years these agencies have conducted numerous investigations to track his movements and gather evidence against him pandeli however has managed to evade capture and has so far found a way to outmaneuver the authorities desperately trying to bring Angelo to Justice the closest anyone has got was in 2017 in an attempt that is reminiscent of the strategy used to pin Al Capone back in the 1920s in the USA using Financial crimes to convict someone when it's impossible to get them for the serious criminal activities they hide so well the Australian taxation office or ATO took pandeli to court for failing to file a tax return for the 2014 to 15 Financial year the case was brought forward due to his failure to file tax returns after ignoring a notice from the ATO that requested a detailed income statement this notice was served to him at Sydney airport giving him 2 months to comply when he failed to do so he was issued a court attendance notice in May 2017 the atto in collaboration with the Australian federal police targeted pandeli as part of a broader Crackdown on biky gangs for tax evasion using that old alcapone strategy across the board this operation aimed to disrupt organized crime by ensuring compliance with tax obligations including the correct lodgment of returns and payment of taxes and providing an inn making it easier to expose the full of the criminal activities within the gangs when you have someone already over a tax offense in court pandeli pleaded guilty but faced no penalty or conviction his lawyer presented an affidavit from pel's accountant who conveniently took responsibility for the tax irregularities the accountant explained that the failure to Lodge the return was due to a software error that did not notify him the return hadn't been filed the outstanding payment was about $3,600 related to interest from the money refunded to pandeli by the atto magistrate Jennifer Atkinson accepted the explanation noting that pandeli had a reasonable belief in trusting his tax agent whilst he was still walking free pandeli saw this as a step too close to the long arm of the law and decided to get out of Australia so he could continue his business activities without the threat of being brought down by the atto the AFP or anyone else that was interested in following the conclusion of the case pandeli relocated to Dubai leaving behind his luxurious Sydney apartment Dubai gave him a safe haven far away from Australian law enforcement and also allowed him to make new business [Music] Partnerships pel's move to Dubai allowed him to continue his criminal activities from a distance while evading law enforcement Dubai was a carefully considered location it is a city known for its status as a Haven for international fugitives and criminals seeking to avoid extradition turning a blind eye to criminal activities as long as the laws of the country are adhered to Dubai and the UAE have become synonymous as a Haven for criminals Financial secrecy low taxes and a booming real estate market facilitate money laundering and asset concealment on a huge scale the uae's inconsistent extradition practices often linked to diplomatic leverage further help make this an alluring place for criminals to escape to an opaque legal system where Justice seems arbitrary seals the deal in terms of the actual criminal links to be had in Dubai its status as a global business Hub attracts a diverse criminal clientele that brings us to the other strategic Master stroke pandeli made by moving to Dubai it put him into close proximity with a new business partner in the kinan cartel the kinahan had fled to Dubai during a violent Feud with the hutch gang in Ireland and Angelo was able to forge a partnership with the cartel that would prove more lucrative than any deal he could cut while still based in Sydney the kinahan is a cartel founded by Christy kinahan in the 1990s in Dublin Ireland the cartel has grown to become one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Ireland and one of the largest globally in the decade since the cartel's operations extend beyond Ireland to the United Kingdom Spain and the United Arab Emirates Christy kinahan often referred to as the dadon initially led the organization but the day-to-day operations are now managed by his Elder son Daniel kinahan the cartel's wealth is estimated to be up to 1 billion EUR largely acred through the international trafficking of drugs and Firearms the alliance formed in Dubai between pandeli and the kerans has had a huge impact on the global cocaine Market together they are responsible for the smuggling of hundreds of kilos of cocaine from Colombia to Europe and onto Australia using Ireland as a Transit point the Australian criminal intelligence commission or acic has reported that the supply of cocaine in Australia is at its highest level in 30 years which is largely due to the efforts of pandeli and the kerans the high demand and prices in the Australian Market where a gram of cocaine can fetch around $215 make it a very lucrative trade for pandeli to be in while the kerans get the drugs from Colombia and around the world to Australia Pand deli's role in The Alliance is no less crucial his distribution network of Hell's Angels Associates is the perfect channel for the cocaine trade this network has enabled the kerans to penetrate the Australian market and take a monopoly on it the profit margins down under are significantly higher than in Europe and so they make more money of pel's contact that $215 per gram in Australia compares to an average of just $70 in Ireland so it's easy to see how the Kahan gain from the alliance with pandeli and the Hell's Angels the AIC has reported that the cartel pandeli is part of is responsible for drug Imports valued at approximately $1.5 billion annually the alliance between pandeli and the kenah hands has posed significant challenges for law enforcement agencies despite being on Australia's prior it organization targets list pandeli has managed to evade capture operating from Dubai where extradition efforts have been largely unsuccessful the UAE has not complied with requests from International authorities including the guardian Ireland to extradite the kerans and pandeli this lack of cooperation has allowed pandeli to continue his operations with relative impunity the global nature of his operations and his strategic relocation to Dubai have made it difficult for authorities to apprehend him International efforts to curb pel's activities have included sanctions imposed by American and UAE authorities on the kinahan cartel in April 2023 these sanctions froze their account and offered rewards for their capture however these measures have yet to result in the extradition or arrest of pandeli and his associates despite the challenges law enforcement agencies have continued to monitor pandi's activities closely the Australian I criminal intelligence commission AIC has named him as a key figure in the Aussie cartel a group responsible for a significant portion of drug Imports into Australia this cartel comprising crime bosses from various backgrounds has developed sophisticated methods to penetrate border security often involving corrupt and bribed officials the aic's attempts to dismantle this network show that he is far from out of sight out of mind they still want pandeli even if he is proving a difficult man a snare whilst he continues to evade capture pandeli strangle hold on the Australian cocaine trade has only continued to grow the power vacuums created by the arrests of other prominent figures in the Australian underworld such as Mark budle presented a new and exciting opportunity that was too great for pandeli to ignore if you want to know more about the life and crimes of Mark budle make sure you check out my video about him after this this vacuum allowed pandeli to assume control over a significant portion of Australia's billion dollar drug Empire as his main competition was put away behind bars in one of the country's most successful stings meanwhile reports have it that pandeli is living a life of luxury in Dubai able to spend his criminal earnings as he pleases while his business Empire in Australia being run by proxy in his absence grows more and more lucrative by the year he's free to continue in this way as long as the UAE doesn't change its stance on extradition he is believed to mainly reside in the Middle East but also has bases in Greece turkey and Thailand places of course chosen because it's difficult to extradite him even if he's arrested in these countries for any minor misdemeanor the Australian federal police and other agencies continue to monitor his whereabouts as they have done for over a decade but the placement of his Global bases and the international connections he has made have allowed him to maintain his operations from abroad and the AFP have so far been unable to find a solution to the problem for the time being at least Angelo pandeli is a wanted criminal at large and with the cocaine trade seemingly growing infinitely year on year the money is going to keep rolling in well into the future as always if you've made it this far thank you so much for watching till next time take care