Sydney gangster Raphael Joseph was kidnapped and "inevitably murdered" by a drug syndicate on a rural property in Blaxlands Ridge in Sydney's north-west, police have said.
Mr Joseph — also known as Rafi Tooma and Hussany — went missing from Auburn, western Sydney, in 2014.
He was the prime suspect in the 2002 shooting of Dimitri Debaz in Sefton in Sydney's south-west before he fled to the US and was later extradited.
Homicide Squad Detective Chief Inspector Grant Taylor said police were "rewarded with a series of breakthroughs" after a car with secret compartments found on the rural property was linked to Mr Joseph's disappearance.
"We now feel we are very confident in knowing exactly what happened that fateful day in 2014," Detective Taylor said.
"We have established that Raphael was kidnapped by a drug supply syndicate taken to premises which is known to us and there he was inevitably murdered."
Mr Joseph was living in San Diego at the time of his extradition, and it was reported he unsuccessfully petitioned then-US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, saying he faced "torture or being killed if sent back".
He was charged on return to NSW and spent 18 months in jail before the charges were dropped.
Mr Joseph, then aged 37, was last seen getting into the back seat of a silver Holden Commodore on Dartbrook Road, Auburn in March 2014.
He was reported missing by his family and it was established he could have met with foul play.
Detectives from the NSW State Crime Command's Homicide Squad established Strike Force Halfbeak to investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and suspected murder.
Police said they believed Mr Joseph's remains could also be located on the property where the vehicle was found.
Secret 'stash box' found in car dashboard
Strike Force detectives said they recently located the silver Holden Commodore, which revealed a secret compartment in the dashboard believed to be linked to illicit drug supply.
A further two cars were also seized, both with professionally-installed secret compartments.
Earlier, Detective Taylor said they believed: "Mr Joseph trusted the occupants and voluntarily got into the car".
"It is likely he was aware of the drug supply activities," he said.
"From the information we have gathered, we believe Mr Joseph was driven from Auburn to another location and murdered.
"Officers are searching for items relevant to the investigation, and we believe Mr Joseph's remains may be on the property."
