Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Immigration has handed over three Australian nationals to the Indonesian Prosecutor's Office following an illegal entry case involving a private aircraft. The suspects, identified by their initials ZA, DTL, and the pilot JVD, will undergo the judicial process after their investigation files were declared complete (P21).
"The Directorate General of Immigration handed over the three Australian citizens to the Indonesian Prosecutor's Office to undergo the judicial process after the investigation files were declared complete," said Director-General Hendarsam Marantoko during a press conference in South Jakarta on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The breach began on November 17, 2025, when a Piper PA 23-250 Aztec, registration VH-EQD, touched down at Mopah Airport in Merauke, South Papua. While the flight manifest originally listed only two crew members, namely a foreign pilot and an Indonesian co-pilot, officers discovered passengers who were not recorded.
Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement, Yuldi Yusman, explained that the aircraft, piloted by JVD, had departed from Cairns, Queensland. En route to Merauke, the plane made an unauthorized transit at Port Stewart, an area in Queensland lacking immigration control, to pick up ZA and DTL.
Both passengers were found to be without valid passports or Indonesian visas. Notably, two of the suspects are currently wanted for criminal acts in Australia.
In addition, Yuldi revealed that a small quantity of narcotics was discovered during a search of the suspects upon arrival. "Narcotics were indeed found, but the quantity was very small," Yuldi stated. While the discovery has been shared with the police, investigators are currently prioritizing the immigration violations.
Throughout the investigation, the suspects were detained at the Salemba Detention Center in Central Jakarta. They have now been transferred, along with the aircraft and other evidence, to the Merauke District Prosecutor's Office.
ZA and DTL are charged under Article 119 paragraph (1) of the Immigration Law for illegal entry, while the pilot, JVD, faces multiple charges for providing the means and assistance to facilitate the crime. The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Immigration officials emphasized that they will continue to tighten monitoring of foreign nationals to prevent similar violations of Indonesian law.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2097269/3-australians-handed-to-prosecutors-over-illegal-entry-in-papu