The arrests follow a $250,000 reward being offered a year ago for information about the Australia Day death of Omega Ruston at Burleigh Heads in 2009.

The 32-year-old was allegedly shot in the stomach after he pulled over following an incident on the highway.

Police believe two shots were fired from the rear passenger seat of a small maroon sedan, one of which fatally wounded the construction worker.

Queensland detectives have travelled to Sydney seeking extradition of three men arrested overnight as part of a joint investigation with NSW police.

A fourth man was arrested in Brisbane on Tuesday morning.

The 45-year-old Gold Coast man allegedly “provided immediate assistance to the offenders after the murder had been committed”, Queensland Police say.

The first of the three men arrested around Sydney was allegedly trying to leave the country.

The 43-year-old Breakfast Point man was arrested by federal police officers as he tried to board a flight to Dubai with $25,000 cash on him Monday night.

A short time later, a 37-year-old Belford man was arrested after Raptor Highway Patrol officers stopped the black Toyota Hilux he was driving on the M4 motorway at Huntingwood.

About 1.30am on Tuesday, Raptor Squad officers arrested a 39-year-old Strathfield man at a Norwest home.

Police say the men have alleged links to Middle Eastern crime syndicates and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The three men arrested in NSW overnight were allegedly in the maroon sedan at the time of the murder, and police say the gun used to kill Mr Ruston had been used before.

“Police will allege that the firearm used in the shooting of Omega Ruston is an identical ballistic match to a firearm that was used in a drive-by style shooting at the West Sydney Ink tattoo parlour in late 2008,” Qld police detective acting superintendent Chris Ahearn said on Tuesday.

However, the actual weapon has not been found.

Police searched the Parramatta River early last year after receiving information “concerning the location of the murder weapon”.

“We haven’t located anything in that part of the river that we undertook that search in at the time,” Det Supt Ahearn said.

Omega’s brother Nick Ruston thanked police for their continued efforts and members of the public who provided crucial information, but he says there are more out there who need to come forward.

“Hopefully with this latest turn of events, we’re able to finally get some closure,” Mr Ruston said.

Det Supt Ahearn said at this stage the murder seems to be “an act of road rage … that has ended in senseless violence and the loss of a young man’s life”.

The $250,000 reward remains in place “for information which leads to the apprehension and conviction of persons responsible for the murder of Omega,” Det Supt Ahearn said.

He says there’s also “appropriate indemnity from prosecution” that can be recommended for accomplices “who first gives us information”, provided they didn’t pull the trigger.