The 48-year-old Wagga man was supported in his five-minute court appearance before magistrate Erin Kennedy by two women and an elderly man.

One of his supporters was teary as Dunstall, bearded and wearing a checkered shirt, sat quietly in the dock.

As his appearance finished, Dunstall and his supporters waved to each other as he called out “love youse” before being led down the stairs and back to the cells.

Dunstall, who was arrested in Wagga on Tuesday and charged with murdering a man in the Illawarra region last year, will not face court again for several weeks.

The case has been adjourned to Nowra Local Court on June 3, where Dunstall will appear by video link.

EARLIER: After a Wagga car stop in the early hours of Tuesday morning, a man has been charged with the 2014 shooting murder of John Gasovski in the Illawarra region.

A park ranger discovered the body of the 48-year-old father of four was found in the Budderoo National Park at Jamberoo in June last year. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Mr Gasovski’s wife had reported him missing three days earlier after failing to return to his Arncliffe home. He had told her he was taking a business trip to Canberra.

Initial inquiries by the homicide squad led it to refer the investigation to the Organised Crime Squad’s Strike Force Brinkley, once the murder was linked to an ongoing investigation into commercial drug manufacture and supply.

At 4.30am on Tuesday morning, Organised Crime Squad detectives were aided by Wagga police officers in a car stop, which resulted in the arrest of a 46-year-old man.

He was taken to Wagga police station and charged with murder and, after being refused bail, will appear at Wagga Local Court on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old is now the fifth person before the courts on drug offences as a result of Strike Force Brinkley, NSW Police said.

Police will allege Mr Gasovski had been involved in the purchase of equipment used to manufacture prohibited drugs prior to his death, and had planned to take part in the transport of a commercial quantity of cannabis from Canberra to Sydney.

Commander of the Organised Crime Squad, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook, said organised crime-related homicides were often the most challenging type of murder to solve due to reluctance from some people to provide information to police.

“I would like to thank all the police involved in today’s operation for their dedication and hard work to date,” Det Supt Cook said.

“Police cannot achieve these outcomes without the assistance of the community; I would like to congratulate those in our community who came forward to assist their police. Your help was invaluable.”

Det Supt Cook said this incident was an unfortunate reminder of the risks involved in organised crime.

“Becoming involved with organised crime groups and networks is very dangerous and can often have serious consequences, not only for the individual, but their family and the wider community as well,” Det Supt Cook said.