A Birmingham Gardens man is one of two men arrested by the Australian Federal Police over their alleged involvement in people smuggling ventures.
Officers executed a search warrant of the Birmingham Gardens home on Tuesday, arresting 30-year-old Chinese National, Mu Fang, the owner of Mayfield's 'Mega Burgers'.
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| Image Credit: Australia247 |
It's alleged he, and a 31-year-old Queensland man arrested in Mareeba on Tuesday, were part of an international people smuggling network, where immigrants were forced to undertake a years worth of work without pay, forced into debt bondage to repay the criminal syndicate's costs for their journey.
Investigations began in early 2020, when the AFP received information about an alleged people smuggling network attempting to transit illegal arrivals to Australia.
In January 2020, Fang and the 31-year-old Queensland man were reportedly travelling in a vehicle in a remote area of the Northern Territory when their vehicle became stranded at a water crossing and Northern Territory Police were called.
It's alleged they claimed they were in the area on a camping trip, however officers observed they were only carrying a carton of water and a small bag, leading Australian Federal police to believe they were acting as a "shore party" to meet a potential vessel carrying illegal arrivals.
Officers executed a search warrant of Fang's home where they allegedly uncovered visa applications on a computer hard drive.
Fang appeared before Newcastle court on Tuesday, and was refused bail and remanded in custody to reappear in court in September.
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| AFP People Smuggling Arrest |
