Orijol Rukaj arrested while trying to board a ferry after 200-day manhunt

Orijol Rukaj, described in the report as one of Victoria’s most wanted men, was arrested near the northern tip of mainland Australia as he was about to board a ferry bound for Thursday Island. The island lies close to Papua New Guinea, and the arrest brought a 200-day search for him to an end, according to the article. Rukaj is accused of cocaine trafficking. The report says he disappeared at his brother’s funeral, after which authorities pursued him during the lengthy manhunt. It does not provide further details about the alleged trafficking operation or explain how investigators tracked him to the ferry departure point. The arrest took place at the last stretch of the Australian mainland before the route to Thursday Island, the article says. Police apprehended Rukaj before he could board, ending his apparent attempt to continue his journey north. The report presents the arrest as the conclusion of a prolonged effort to locate him, but it does not state what charges he now faces in court, whether he has entered a plea, or when he is due to appear. The allegations remain allegations unless established through legal proceedings.