A 23-year-old Northern Territory man has been sentenced to 18 months’ home detention for his role in a people smuggling venture linked to illegal boat arrivals in 2024, with the court warning that those who facilitate unlawful entry into Australia will face serious consequences.
The Muirhead resident was sentenced in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on Monday after pleading guilty earlier this year to a single count of people smuggling under section 233A(1) of the Migration Act 1958. In addition to home detention, the man is subject to an Intensive Community Correction Order.
The court heard that in July 2024, investigators from the Australian Federal Police identified the man’s involvement in a scheme in which he was paid to collect unlawful non-citizens arriving by boat in the Northern Territory. A search warrant was executed at his former home in the Darwin suburb of Johnston on 1 August 2024, and he was arrested and charged the same day.
AFP Commander Melinda Phelan said the sentencing highlighted the agency’s commitment to dismantling people smuggling operations through close cooperation with domestic and international partners.
“The AFP works closely with law enforcement partners both on and offshore to disrupt those attempting to facilitate the unlawful entry of individuals or groups into Australia,” Commander Phelan said, noting that the AFP operates as part of a whole-of-government effort under the Joint Agency Task Force.
She said people smugglers routinely put lives at risk for personal profit, adding that even those who play supporting roles, such as collecting people on arrival, would be held to account. “Those who engage in this illegal activity … will face the consequences of the law,” she said.
Commander of the Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Brett Sonter RAN, said the outcome reinforced the effectiveness of the multi-agency operation.
“Operation Sovereign Borders’ mission is clear: to prevent the permanent settlement in Australia by people seeking to come irregularly by boat,” Rear Admiral Sonter said.
He added that the operation’s 16 federal government agencies would continue working together to disrupt criminal networks and uphold a fair and lawful migration system.
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