"Do not move!": Fugitive arrested after 12 years on the run
A man who has been on the run for over a decade has finally been arrested in Far North Queensland.
Graham Gene Potter became a fugitive in 2010, after allegedly failing to appear in a Victorian court on charges including conspiracy to murder and Commonwealth drug offences.
Mr Potter faces drug charges in relation to a $440 million ecstasy and cocaine haul from 2008, the same year he was allegedly hired to kill a man at the wedding of underworld figure Mick Gatto’s son.
Since going on the run 12 years ago, Mr Potter has been spotted in the Tablelands area of Queensland after allegedly evading police in 2010.
His time on the run came to an end on Monday morning, when Queensland Police officers arrested the 64-year-old at a home in Ravenshoe, 123 kilometres south of Cairns.
In footage released by police, Mr Potter can be seen on a bed in a squalid shack.
“This is the police. Do not move,” one officer was heard shouting.
“Put your hands where I can see them.”
Image: Queensland Police
Mr Potter was then handcuffed and taken into custody.
“Multiple law enforcement bodies throughout Australia have been attempting to locate him for the last 12 years,” Queensland Police said.
A Crime Stoppers Australia wanted post from 2021 said Mr Potter was believed to be in a relationship and living in rural Australia.
“He has welding, beekeeping, hydroponics, aquaponics, gold prospecting and earth moving skills, and is most likely to look for work as a caretaker, farm hand or outback station hand,” the post from February read.
Mr Potter was known to use disguises such as wigs and fat suits, and has been the subject of several unconfirmed sightings over the years.
He has previously served 15 years in prison for the 1981 murder and mutilation of NSW woman Kim Barry.
A $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest has been in place since 2011, and was still active up until his recent capture.
Detectives from Victoria travelled to Queensland to extradite him ahead of his appearance in court on February 22.
Image: Queensland Police