A 31-year-old Indonesian man will face Perth Magistrates Court today after being charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over people smuggling offences on Saturday.
The man is the captain of a vessel intercepted by Australia’s Border Protection Command on 19 November near Ashmore Islands. There were 12 people on board the vessel when it was intercepted, including a
second crew member and 10 passengers.
The man was taken to Christmas Island where he was arrested and charged.
He was then escorted by AFP officers to Perth where he will face court.
The AFP will allege in court that the man was captaining a fishing vessel as part of an attempt to smuggle the people from Indonesia to Australia.
The man was charged with organising and bringing a group of non-citizens into Australia (five or more people) contrary to Section 232A of The Migration Act 1958. The other crew member was not charged.
The maximum penalty for this offence is 20 years imprisonment.
