He quickly moved into crime and was a major heroin importer by the mid 1970s
Riley was an associate of Sydney gangsters Lennie McPherson and Neddy Smith
His most notorious failed scheme was the 4.5 tonne Anoa cannabis importation
He was jailed over a £40million fraud conspiracy in the UK but escaped in 1993
Riley spent the rest of his long life in Queensland avoiding extradition to Britain
One of the most colourful chapters in Australian criminal history has finally closed with the death of infamous cop turned crook Murray Riley aged 94.
Underworld sources said Riley, who rose to the rank of detective sergeant before embarking on a career as an international drug trafficker, died in Queensland.