Eyewitness – BADUNG
The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office has successfully intercepted the departure of an Australian national wanted by Interpol for alleged involvement in transnational crime. The suspect attempted to deceive immigration officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, by using a travel document belonging to another individual.
The incident unfolded on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at approximately 10:00 PM WITA. Immigration officers were conducting standard clearance checks on passengers of a private aircraft, CAPA JET (flight number N917CJ), bound for Maputo, Mozambique, from Denpasar. The checks took place at the South Terminal of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
The private jet carried three flight crew members (stay on board) and four foreign passengers identified by their initials: ARR (Portuguese), GAM (Brazilian), GS (Italian), and FMJ (Brazilian).
During the clearance process, officers detected irregularities regarding a passenger holding a Brazilian passport under the name GAM. The individual lacked any official entry records or valid residence permits for Indonesia. While the other three passengers were cleared, officers decided to defer GAM’s departure for further investigation. However, before subsequent action could be taken, all passengers bypassed security protocols to board the aircraft without authorization, and the plane prepared for an unauthorized takeoff, ignoring instructions from immigration officials.
In response to the escalating situation, immigration officers immediately coordinated with airport authorities to halt the flight, ordering the aircraft to return from the runway to the VIP Terminal. Once the plane was forced back, officers conducted a thorough sweep of the aircraft and discovered GAM hiding inside the lavatory, while the other three passengers remained in the cabin.
A follow-up investigation revealed that the Brazilian passport under the name GAM was counterfeit. The true identity of the 55-year-old man was confirmed as Angelo Paneli, an Australian national born in Whyalla, Australia. Furthermore, the immigration system flagged Angelo Paneli as a 100% match HIT on the Interpol suspect list.
Based on intelligence provided by the National Central Bureau (NCB) Canberra, Angelo Paneli is a high-profile fugitive wanted by international law enforcement agencies for transnational criminal offenses.
According to the Interpol notice, Angelo Paneli is identified as an influential figure within a Transnational Serious Organised Crime (TSOC) syndicate and a prominent member of an outlaw motorcycle gang. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) stated that Angelo Paneli is responsible for a series of large-scale illicit narcotics smuggling operations into Australian territory. He had long been evading law enforcement and allegedly attempted to covertly leave the region using illegally obtained travel documents to escape justice and manage his syndicate’s operations from abroad.
Following these findings, the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office immediately coordinated with the Narcotics Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) and the National Police International Relations Division to delve deeper into the case, while establishing communication with foreign law enforcement agencies. Concurrently, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) inspected the aircraft and its entire cargo. Due to indications of the subject’s involvement in a transnational crime network, an international joint operation was launched alongside the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the AFP.
As a follow-up action, all passengers, crew members, and the aircraft have been grounded, facing departure delays while the investigation remains ongoing. Meanwhile, Angelo Paneli has been officially detained and slapped with a lifetime entry and transit ban (cekal) from Indonesian territory. He is scheduled for deportation to face legal proceedings in Australia.
The Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, emphasized that this decisive action is a concrete manifestation of immigration border control functions in safeguarding national security against transnational criminals exploiting international transit routes.
“Ngurah Rai Immigration remains steadfast in executing strict and professional immigration surveillance and clearance to safeguard state sovereignty and security. We emphasize that there is no room for fugitives or transnational criminals to use Indonesia as a safe haven. This step aligns with the directives of the Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, under the spirit of ‘Immigration for the People’—to protect the nation and serve the public,” Bugie stated.
He was due on schedule to flight back with Air Asia – QZ420Denpasar – Adelaide lastnight.
Reporter : Daniel Herry
