An Australian fugitive linked to organised crime was detained in Bali after authorities uncovered a fake passport and identified him through an Interpol alert.
The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali has successfully apprehended an Australian national, identified as AP (55), who was allegedly attempting to flee the country. AP is an Interpol fugitive suspected of involvement in transnational crime. He is also believed to be a prominent figure within the Transnational Serious Organised Crime (TSOC) network and a senior member of a motorcycle gang.
“The individual used another person’s travel documents in an attempt to deceive immigration officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali,” said Bugie Kurniawan, the Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, during a press briefing on Thursday, the 11th of June.
According to Kurniawan, the CAPA JET private aircraft, flight number N917CJ, was scheduled to depart from Denpasar for Maputo, Mozambique. On board were three crew members and four foreign passengers: a Portuguese national identified as ARR, Brazilian nationals identified as GAM and FMJ, and an Italian national identified as GS.
However, Kurniawan noted that the documents belonging to GAM appeared suspicious, while the other three passengers possessed complete and valid documentation.
“During the immigration clearance process, officers detected irregularities involving a passenger travelling on a Brazilian passport under the name of GAM, who had no recorded entry data or valid residence permit in Indonesia,” he said.
Despite instructions from immigration officers, all passengers reportedly boarded the aircraft without authorisation and prepared for departure. In response, immigration officials ordered the aircraft to return from the runway to the VIP Terminal.
Once the aircraft had been escorted back, officers carried out a search and discovered GAM hiding in the aircraft’s lavatory, while the remaining three passengers were located in the cabin.
Kurniawan explained that further investigations revealed the Brazilian passport bearing the name GAM was fraudulent. The man’s true identity was AP, an Australian national born in Whyalla. Immigration records, furthermore, showed that AP matched an Interpol alert with a 100% identification score.
“Based on a request for information from the National Central Bureau [NCB] in Canberra, AP is believed to be a fugitive sought by international law enforcement authorities in connection with a transnational crime case,” he said.
On top of that, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), AP is allegedly responsible for a series of large-scale narcotics smuggling operations into Australia.
Following the discovery, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office immediately coordinated with the Narcotics Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency and the National Police’s International Relations Division to investigate the matter. The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGCE) also conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft and its cargo.
Kurniawan stated that AP is currently being held in detention and will subsequently be deported to Australia, where he will face legal proceedings.