Flight risk: Aussie in court for helping crime boss flee to Thailand
An Aussie man is scheduled to appear in court in Australia today, accused of aiding the escape of a notorious organised crime figure to Thailand.
The unnamed 57 year old from Bargara, Bundaberg, Queensland, allegedly crewed a vessel alongside another man to pick up a fugitive at a clandestine sea rendezvous. After quietly setting sail from Thursday Island, north of Queensland, the trio reportedly arrived in Phuket, Thailand, 11 days later.
At the heart of this seafaring saga is the fugitive, facing a looming 20-year sentence for handling crime proceeds exceeding A$100,000 (2,13 billion baht). His charges stem from Operation Ironside, a three-year undercover operation that ensnared criminal networks through the FBI-designed AN0M platform.
Additionally, the fugitive was later slapped with a conspiracy charge for importing a significant quantity of border-controlled drugs, a crime that carries the possibility of life imprisonment.
Federal agents swooped on a property near Bundaberg yesterday, March 20, seizing laptops and mobile phones. Initial investigations of the seized devices reportedly unveiled incriminating messages between the accused and offshore criminal associates, detailing the escape plan.
Facing charges that include providing resources to a criminal organisation and people smuggling, potentially resulting in a combined 15-year sentence, the man is poised to face the Bundaberg Magistrates Court later today.
The Australian Federal Police have remained tight-lipped regarding the fugitive’s current status and whether he has been recaptured and returned to Australia, 9News reported.
Australian fugitives in Thailand is not a new thing. Two years ago, Thai police arrested an Australian man at a luxury accommodation in Phuket on August 10 after the foreigner fled a drug charge from his homeland to hide in Thailand.
Phuket Provincial Immigration Police held a press conference to report the successful arrest of the Australian, Robert Wainwright.
The arrest was made on Thursday, August 10 near a luxury pool villa in the Rawai sub-district, Meaung district, Phuket province.
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