Notorious 'Bali Nine' drug smuggling ring back in Australia after top secret release mission The five remaining members of the ‘Bali Nine’, who formed a drugs smuggling ring, have been returned to Australia after spending nearly 20 years in Indonesian jails.
The release comes amid a ‘top secret release mission’, with Si Yi Chen, 39, Michael Czugaj, 38, Matthew Norman, 38, Scott Rush, 39, and Martin Stephens, 48, arriving in Australia on Sunday evening on commercial flights.
“The men will have the opportunity to continue their personal rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia," he said in a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
We would like to convey our deep appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its co-operation to facilitate the men’s return to Australia on humanitarian grounds.
The secret release arrangement is not a ‘clemency deal’ and Australia does not have a prisoner transfer agreement in place with Indonesia.
