“We are conducting strict and professional immigration surveillance and inspections to safeguard the country's sovereignty and security,” Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office Bugie Kurniawan said on Thursday.
Immigration officers intercepted AP on June 6 after discovering that he was attempting to depart Indonesia using a passport issued in the name of a Brazilian citizen identified by the initials GAM.
However, immigration records showed no entry record associated with the passport issued under GAM’s name.
At the time, AP was preparing to board private flight N917CJ bound for Maputo, Mozambique, from the South Terminal of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar.
Passenger data showed that AP was traveling with three other individuals - citizens of Portugal, Italy, and Brazil - as well as three crew members.
Authorities detained AP for questioning and initially allowed the three other passengers to proceed. However, all passengers boarded the aircraft without authorization, and the plane continued preparing for departure despite instructions from immigration officers.
Immigration personnel immediately coordinated with airport authorities to halt the flight and direct the aircraft back to the VIP Terminal from the runway.
After the aircraft returned to the terminal, officers conducted a search and found AP hiding inside the lavatory, while the three other passengers remained in the cabin.
AP was subsequently taken into custody for questioning, and the departure of the aircraft was postponed pending further investigation.
Based on the investigation, the 55-year-old AP was listed on Interpol's list with a 100 percent match score as a suspect.
According to a request for information from the National Central Bureau (NCB) in Canberra, AP is suspected of being a fugitive wanted by international law enforcement authorities in connection with a transnational crime case.
Based on the Interpol notice, AP is known to be an influential figure in the Transnational Serious Organized Crime (TSOC) network and a leading member of a motorcycle gang.
He is responsible for a series of large-scale narcotics smuggling operations into Australia.
The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office then established coordination with the Narcotics Crime Directorate and the National Police's International Relations Division to investigate the case and communicate with foreign law enforcement.
In parallel, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) inspected the aircraft and its entire cargo due to indications of the subject's involvement in a transnational crime network.
Meanwhile, AP was placed under a lifetime ban from entering Indonesia and subsequently deported to Australia to face legal proceedings.
"There is no room for fugitives or perpetrators of transnational crimes to use Indonesia as a place of refuge," Kurniawan emphasized.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut S W, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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