An Australian aviation company owner faces people smuggling charges for allegedly organising a ‘black flight’ to help two fugitives flee to the country.
SYDNEY: An Australian aircraft owner has appeared in court charged with people smuggling after allegedly coordinating a sophisticated ‘black flight’ to help two fugitives flee to Indonesia.
Australian federal police detailed how the small fixed-wing aircraft flew from a remote indigenous fishing town on Queensland’s Cape York peninsula in November.
The two pilots on board allegedly failed to declare their two passengers in official documents upon arrival in Indonesia’s Merauke district in Papua.
An investigation revealed one passenger was on bail for alleged kidnapping offences in Sydney while the other was wanted for alleged drug trafficking.
Police said the plane flew with its transponder deliberately turned off until it reached international waters in a bid to evade detection.
Detective superintendent Adrian Telter told reporters “this was a very sophisticated strategy to exit Australia”.
The 43-year-old owner of an aviation company in Rockhampton, Queensland, is accused of coordinating the escape.
He appeared in court on Thursday charged with people smuggling offences that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
A court official confirmed the man was granted bail and did not enter a plea during the hearing.
Indonesian officials detained all four men on the flight upon arrival and they remain in custody.
Authorities have since stepped up surveillance of Australia’s vast northern coastline in response to the incident.
Federal police last month vowed to crack down on ‘black flights’ operating across the porous border with Papua New Guinea over community concerns about drug trafficking and regional security.