BI agents nab Australian wanted for drug smuggling

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported that its operatives apprehended an Australian narcotics trafficker suspected of being a member of the infamous Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel. 

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the arrested fugitive as Gregor Johann Haas, 46-year-old, who was arrested last Wednesday, 15 May, in Bogo, Cebu, by the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) operatives.

Tansingco stated that Haas is the subject of a standing red notice from Interpol, which stems from a criminal complaint brought against him in Indonesia.

According to the bureau, the Indonesian national narcotics board reportedly issued an arrest order for Haas on 29 January after filing a drug smuggling complaint against him.

The Indonesian authorities have accused Haas of being behind a smuggling attempt in Indonesia on 11 December 2023, with a cargo of floor ceramics containing more than 5 kilograms of illegal methamphetamine.

The drugs were confiscated by Indonesian authorities, and with the testimony of arrested drug couriers, it was revealed that Haas had shipped the said parcels from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Tansingco described Haas' arrest as an important accomplishment for the BI in its ongoing efforts to apprehend sought-after foreign criminals in the country.

The BI chief also stated that the arrested Australian was tagged as a high-profile fugitive for being an alleged member of the Sinaloa cartel, a big international organized crime gang headquartered in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, that specializes in drug trafficking and money laundering activities.

Tansingco added that the cartel, which allegedly operates in Mexico and was founded in the 1980s, has been recognized as one of the world's leading drug trafficking organizations. In the 1990s, the cartel was reported to be headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán.

The Australian fugitive is currently held at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, awaiting his deportation proceedings.