Wanted Aussie Bandido Brett Pechey not on Phuket police watchlist

PHUKET: Local law enforcement chiefs today confirmed that wanted Australian biker Brett “Kaos” Pechey, who is currently living in exile, is not a wanted man in Phuket – but they are keeping a lookout for him.

Mr Pechey is the former president of a Bandido chapter in Brisbane and wanted on extortion and riot charges in Queensland. He was featured in a report by the Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, with a photo of him at AKA Thailand, a mixed-martial arts training camp in Phuket.

However, a source at AKA Thailand told the Phuket Gazette that Pechey trained at the camp in Rawai “only one or two times, and that was some time ago.”

The Daily Telegraph story also featured a photo of Pechey wearing a logo of the notorious Sydney street gang Brothers 4 Life AK47 (story here), sparking concerns that the Brothers 4 Life brand could be copied in Queensland and overseas after having caused chaos in Western Sydney.

The Bandidos, along with several other bike gangs, were outlawed in Queensland by special legislation in 2013 with criminal sentences for gang members matching those for convicted pedophiles (story here).

“I have checked, but Mr Brett Pechey is not on our watchlist – and as such, at this stage, he is not wanted in Thailand,” Airport Immigration Deputy Superintendent Watcharapol Kanjanakuntorn confirmed to the Gazette.

Nonetheless, Australian officials are currently working to extradite Mr Pechey from Thailand, reported The Daily Telegraph.

When contacted by the Gazette, the Attorney-General’s Department in Australia explained that it was AGD’s policy not to disclose any information regarding extradition of suspects until the suspects have been arrested.

Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee, Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij and Phuket Tourist Police chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit all concurred – in the eyes of Phuket law enforcement, Mr Pechey is not a wanted man.

“However, I have passed the information to our inspection team to search for him and get more information,” Lt Col Watcharapol said.

Mr Pechey was reported to have fled to Thailand after a mass brawl at Broadbeach, on Queensland’s Gold Coast, in September 2013 (story here).

By June last year, reports circulated that Thai police had tracked him down and demanded AUS$120,000 (more than 3.2 million baht) to save him from deportation (story here).

— Chutharat Plerin