Accused people-smuggler charged after boat lands in Far North Queensland
Updated ,first published
Two people were detained and foreign nationals were also detained after a boat carrying refugees landed in Far North Queensland.
The boat was stopped at Weipa, about 2000 kilometers northwest of Brisbane, on Tuesday.
On board were a dozen people believed to be Chinese nationals, including two alleged human traffickers.
The group was on land for hours. In footage obtained by Nine News, they can be seen walking around a shopping mall in Weipa and buying food from a bakery.
Joshua Lyon of Weipa Bakery & Cafe said the alleged human trafficking couple was relaxed during the arrest.
“I thought they were just checking a few possible visas or something.”
Campers reported the boat arriving, but the group had left before border enforcement officers arrived.
A spokesperson for the Australian Border Force initially told this imprint that it “will not comment on or confirm operational matters”.
It was later confirmed that a 34-year-old Taiwanese man had been charged with “the aggravated crime of human trafficking.” [involving at least five persons]”.
He appeared before the Cairns Magistrates Court remotely on Wednesday and was remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear in the same court on July 2.
A second man, aged 30, of unknown nationality, was detained pending further investigation under the Immigration Act.
The ABF did not confirm where the foreign nationals were being held.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke issued a statement on Thursday saying “the operation in Weipa is now complete”.
“Anyone who tried to enter Australia without a visa has now been deported. Those who helped them will face the full extent of the law,” he said.
A day earlier, Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie described the border violation as an embarrassment for the Albanian government.
“The federal government needs to secure our borders,” he said.
Nationals MP David Littleproud said he was concerned it would start a new wave of illegal boat arrivals.
“They found a chink in the armour,” he said.
Queensland Police and Australian Federal Police declined to comment.
Weipa is a remote community on the west coast of the country. Cape York Peninsula is 400 kilometers away from the mainland of Papua New Guinea.
Six Chinese nationals were found wandering around the outback community of Kalumburu on Western Australia’s far north coast late last year.
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