'Mr Big' people smuggler charged

A 39-year-old man described as a ``Mr Big'' of people smuggling into Australia will appear in the Darwin Magistrates Court this morning charged with migration offences.

This result shows the benefit of close co-operationNehmet Seriban [sic] is an Australian citizen who was allegedly the principal organiser of an operation which saw 14 Turkish nationals land on Ashmore Reef 320km north-west of Darwin, in 2000.

The boat they were discovered on was the Indonesian fishing vessel registered as the Gnowangerup.

It is also believed Seriban was allegedly responsible for another 14 Turkish asylum seekers landing on Melville Island, 80km off the Northern Territory coast, last year.

He was arrested yesterday at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport following his deportation from Indonesia because of visa violations.

Seriban, whose last known address was in West Australia, has been charged with 11 offences under the Migration Act.

He appeared briefly in the Waverley Local Court yesterday where authorities applied for his extradition to the Territory.

The Australian Federal Police said he had ``been of interest'' to the people smuggling strike team for several years.

Seriban will face his charges in the NT because the alleged offences occurred within Territory borders.

The AFP's Mike Phelan said: ``This result shows the benefit of close co-operation between law enforcement agencies around the world.

``We continue to work with other police agencies in relation to people smuggling investigations.

``We are determined to track these criminals down wherever they are around the globe and our pursuit will be relentless.''

Northern Territory News