Daily Times

JAKARTA: Indonesian police on Friday said that they had arrested a ‘human smuggler’ over an attempt to send a boatload of asylum seekers to New Zealand in 2015.

Abraham Louhenapessy – known as ‘Captain Bram’ – was arrested on Thursday in Jakarta for allegedly purchasing the boat that was used in the suspected crime in May last year, said Police official Sulistiono.

It was the third time in the past decade that the police had arrested Louhenapessy – who reportedly brought more than 1,500 asylum seekers to Australia – as a key figure in the people-smuggling trade.

“Abraham is known to be an old player in human trafficking,” Sulistiono told reporters.

Louhenapessy was jailed for a short period of time after his first arrest in 2007 but when he was arrested again in 2009 – after being found holed up on a boat full of asylum seekers – he was only fined. He was detained in the capital after returning from overseas, the official said.

The human smuggling attempt involved a bid to send 65 migrants to New Zealand via boat from Indonesia – a key transit point on well-established human smuggling routes.

Authorities said that Louhenapessy with 10 other Indonesians and foreigners involved in the human smuggling ring were paid $325,000 by the migrants. However, the boat was intercepted by Australian customs and navy vessels and the migrants were sent back to Indonesia in different boats.

The case sparked a serious diplomatic row between Jakarta and Canberra after the captain and crew claimed they were paid about $30,000 to head back to Indonesia and never engage in human smuggling again.

Australia – who refused to deny the allegations – had introduced tough immigration policies in 2013 to stop those trying to reach its territory using means that violated the international law.