A wanted man who led police on a six-week hunt has been arrested after ordering Uber Eats under his own name to a Perth address, tipping off detectives.
Mate Stipinovich is the third person to be arrested in an investigation sparked by the rescue of three men who were found clinging to an esky in the sea off Western Australia last month.
Police said Stipinovich was last night found hiding in a “secret compartment” beneath a spa on the back patio, allegedly with a loaded gun in a bag beside him at a home in Byford.
Police allege they found 365kg of cocaine aboard the sunken vessel that the three rescued men had been on, leading them on a hunt for answers.
Australian Federal Police stormed the home in Perth’s south overnight, with an ambulance and negotiator on standby.
Tactical officers smashed through a window to get into the property.
“We just heard a voice over from police saying stay inside your house,” one witness said.
“We weren’t sure what was going on and we checked the cameras and there was three Territory Response Group guys in our backyard.”
The three accused men, the other two aged 36 and 45, have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
