A former Corrimal coal miner who spent more than a decade on the run will be extradited to Melbourne after he was arrested and faced court in Queensland.
Police said biometric testing was needed to confirm the identity of fugitive Graham Gene Potter.
The 12-year manhunt for the fugitive ended in Far North Queensland on Monday when detectives found the 64-year-old at a derelict home in the Tablelands region.
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Potter faced court in Queensland yesterday. He appeared before the Atherton Magistrates Court where Magistrate Thomas Braes granted a request to extradite Potter back to Victoria.
Victorian officers applied for his transfer to the Melbourne Magistrates Court, where he is due to appear tomorrow on serious charges.
Potter had been wanted since 2010 after skipping bail on two conspiracy to murder charges and commercial drug offences relating to 25,000 ecstasy pills.
It's alleged he conspired to kill two people in 2008 and fled after being charged by detectives.
Police had at times believed the 64-year-old was hiding somewhere in Tocumwal and Cobram following sightings.
Reports were made in 2013 that he was working as a fruit picker on the Victoria-NSW border.
Those sightings were never confirmed and a campsite found on an island in Cobram was ruled out as being linked to Potter.
Potter was instead eventually found by police living in squalid conditions, surrounded by cats, at a home about 80 kilometres south-west of Cairns.
Potter initially used the pseudonym "Josh Lawson" when police arrived at the Ravenshoe address, about two hours south of Cairns, Detective Inspector Kevin Goan said yesterday.
But detectives involved with the case for several years had enough cause to arrest him.
"They had reasonable cause to effect his arrest, bring him into custody (and) do the biometric testing through the live-scan machine," Det Insp Goan said.
The results confirmed that "Josh Lawson was in fact Graham Gene Potter".
Police had previously attended the address where Potter was eventually found, but said "our approach on this occasion was different".
"The credible information that came through to investigators was sufficient ...for them to gain lawful entry to the premises," Det Insp Goan said.
While he's been "keeping a low profile", police said he had assimilated with some members of the local community. No one has been charged in connection with Potter's hiding spot.
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