Father of NRL star Payne Haas facing death penalty after drug arrest in Indonesia
Authorities have arrested the father of NRL star Payne Haas in the Philippines on serious drug trafficking charges, and he faces extradition to Indonesia, where he could face the death penalty.
According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, Gregor Johann Haas was arrested in Cebu City in the Philippines, having allegedly been hiding from Indonesian authorities since December last year.
Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of National Narcotics Board (BNN), Brigadier General Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono, said they had been tracking Haas since December when he was found with 5kg of crystal methamphetamine.
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“We will immediately take him and ask him to reveal his network in Indonesia and other places. He used to move a lot, not only in Indonesia but other countries as well,” Hartono said via Indonesian news agency ANTARA.
“We suspect him to have networks all over Asia, and we also suspect he has networks in Australia.
“We have good cooperation with Australian police, so we will work with them too.”
However, extradition is not certain, as the Philippines is a signatory to an international agreement that prohibits extradition if it leads to execution.
The Broncos are reportedly aware of the situation and are offering their full support to Haas.
It comes after Haas’ mother, Uiatu “Joan” Taufua, faces manslaughter charges over a horror crash that killed three people in December 2022.
However, the case has not progressed as her Sydney legal team, Kings Law Group, organised a psychiatric assessment in March to determine whether Ms Taufua should be referred to the mental health court.
