Man charged for allegedly smuggling serious fugitive to Thailand

A man will face court today charged over allegedly smuggling an organised crime figure out of Australia.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) alleged the 57-year-old from Bargara, in Queensland’s Bundaberg region, and another man crewed a vessel that collected a fugitive at a transfer point out at sea.

The three men then allegedly sailed from Thursday Island, north of Queensland, on September 21, 2023, and arrived in Phuket, Thailand, 11 days later. 

The fugitive at the centre of the alleged smuggling ploy was facing 20 years imprisonment after he was charged with dealing with proceeds of crime over $100,000.

He had been charged under Operation Ironside — a three-year covert investigation into criminal groups in Australia using the platform AN0M, which was designed by the FBI and deliberately planted into criminal circles to collect evidence.

He was later also charged with a conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Federal officers yesterday stormed a home near Bundaberg, Queensland, and seized devices including laptops and mobile phones.

An initial examination of the phones allegedly found messages between the 57-year-old man and offshore criminal syndicate facilitators, discussing arrangements for the fugitive to flee the country.

The man was charged with intentionally providing material to support resources to a member of a criminal organisation and people smuggling — which carries a maximum combined penalty of 15 years imprisonment.

He is expected to face Bundaberg Magistrates Court later today.

The AFP has refused to comment on whether the fugitive had been arrested and brought back to Australia.