By Perry Duffin and Jordan Baker
Accused drug trafficker Hussein Chamas allegedly had more than a year in a coastal NSW rehab to plot an escape plan which would take him overland to far northern Australia, onto a $200,000 yacht and towards a new life in Indonesia.
He had a huge head start on authorities, who took a week to realise he had gone.
But it’s alleged Chamas overlooked a crucial detail that brought his elaborate plan to an abrupt end; he sailed into waters swarming with Australian Border Force ships, who were targeting sea cucumber poachers from Indonesia.
Chamas was arrested off the Gove Peninsula on Saturday night, more than two weeks after allegedly fleeing the embattled Connect Global rehabilitation centre near Newcastle on January 8, which is now set to close.
A local spotted him flashing a torch at a white yacht from a remote beach on East Arnhem land, about 500 kilometres by sea from the town of Kladar in Indonesia’s Papua province.
Australian Federal Police and ABF personnel were already swarming the Arafura Sea on a well-publicised operation targeting illegal sea cucumber fishing vessels, and quickly intercepted the $200,000 Oceanis 423 yacht as it headed north.
Hussein Chamas allegedly fled the Connect Global rehab centre at Swan Bay using forged documents. Credit: AFP
Footage shows officers boarding the yacht from a police boat where they found a 51-year-old male Dutch skipper, a 42-year-old British woman, and Chamas.
AFP Commander Paula Hudson thanked the community for being the “eyes and ears on the ground” who helped apprehend Chamas. “Criminals should know that the long arm of the AFP extends everywhere, and there is no way to hide,” Hudson said.
The 35-year-old had been bailed since July 2023 to the unconventional resort-turned-rehab centre, which once hosted addiction-ravaged former game show host Andrew O’Keefe, as well as alleged bikie bosses, drug traffickers and the Dover Heights stabber, Matthew Ramsay.
Connect Global’s board decided on Tuesday night to begin winding up the charity in the wake of the Herald’s exposé of concerns about lax security, an urgent review by the attorney-general, and Chamas’ alleged attempt to flee to Indonesia.
Staff were told on Wednesday that the process would be a slow one, as lawyers for men there on bail would need to apply to the court for them to be moved, and those close to the end of their treatment would be allowed to finish.
The facility was one of the few in NSW that had been accepting men on bail for serious charges, ranging from drug trafficking and firearms to grievous bodily harm. The board decided it would no longer do so.
“The board has also resolved to continue working with authorities, including the police, the Department of Health and Local Government to ensure that staff, on site visitors and residents are safe whilst at the facility,” a Connect Global statement said.
Even some of those close to Connect Global wondered why the courts had allowed men facing such serious charges to stay at an isolated centre. The road to Swan Bay is mostly dirt, it’s surrounded by water, and it’s several kilometres from the highway.
The isolation makes escape and clandestine visits easier and responding to emergencies harder. “I don’t know why the court would grant Hussein Chamas bail to go to a facility like it,” said one.
Patients have been leaving Connect Global; the numbers have halved to about 20. Among those who recently left is Ahmed Haouchar, who is accused of being the “primary Australian facilitator” of a massive drug importation ring.
He wears a BailSafe ankle bracelet, the type also worn by Chamas when he allegedly fled. BailSafe’s websites and emails no longer work; its email bounces back. The Herald attempted to contact its director, but the phone numbers did not work.
The Herald has also made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to contact the founder of Connect Global, Pastor Ross Pene. Staff said he retired to New Zealand late last year.
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