An Australian charter aviation operator has been charged with people smuggling following an investigation into an alleged “black flight” used to transport two wanted Australian men from Cape York to Indonesia.
Network of Charter Flights
Australian Federal Police (AFP) said immigration officials in Indonesia detained two pilots and two passengers who arrived South Papua in November 2025 by a small aircraft. According to Indonesian officals, flight documentation listed only the two pilots, including one from Australia and one from Indonesia.
The AFP said the undeclared passengers were Sydney men sought by Australian authorities. One, aged 34, was on bail for kidnapping offenses with conditions preventing him from approaching any interstate or international departure point. The other, aged 35, had three outstanding arrest warrants related to alleged large-scale drug supply and manufacturing. Both men remain in Indonesian immigration detention, along with the Australian pilot.
Investigators said the two passengers traveled through a series of charter flights and ground transfers for about a week before they departed from Australia for Indonesia on Nov. 17.
Transponder Allegedly Disabled During Departure
The AFP alleges the aircraft’s transponder was deactivated during a portion of the flight between Coen and Port Stewart before being reactivated once the aircraft reached international waters. Officials said the aircraft used in the flight was later seized by Indonesian authorities.
A 42-year-old man from Woolshed, Queensland, identified in court records as charter operator Grant Bernard Schultz, has been charged with two counts of people smuggling. AFP investigators executed search warrants at properties in southeast Queensland and Rockhampton before making the arrest. Schultz appeared in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Thursday and was granted bail with conditions that included surrendering his passport and remaining at least 200 meters from any international departure point, according to Australia’s ABC News.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said investigators believe the suspect coordinated multiple charter flights as part of the operation.
“We allege he coordinated a network of connected charter flights on different planes and with different companies over a week to smuggle the fugitives from New South Wales to north Queensland, then on to Indonesia,” Telfer said.
Investigators said inquiries are continuing into the circumstances of the flights and any payments involved.
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