A Vietnamese illegal immigrant drug trafficker has fled Australia on another person’s passport less than two weeks after being granted bail in a Victorian court despite warnings he was a flight risk.
Son Dinh Tran, 45, was arrested along with another Vietnamese immigrant during a drug bust in Belmont, Geelong, in July and charged with growing and cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis and other offences.
Tran tried to jump a fence during the raid where 519 cannabis plants worth $1.5 million were found at a factory that police say is linked to eight other grow houses.
He was then granted bail by Magistrate Kimberley Swadesir on August 27 on the condition his Australian citizen travel agent wife, Oanh Ngo, hand over a $50,000 surety, and that he surrender his passport and abide by a curfew, the Geelong Advertiser reported.
But Ms Ngo told Geelong Magistrates Court on Friday while trying to discharge her liability as bail guarantor that her husband vanished on September 7 – Father’s Day – and fought back tears as she said “he ditched me” on a day she wanted them to spend together.
She also spoke of being “thrilled” when Tran was given a bridging visa to stay in Australia despite being in the country unlawfully.
Prosecutor Maille Cornelius cross-examined Ms Ngo about Tran’s passport, which he had handed in, and told the court the prosecution were aware of a “passport number” not belonging to him that he used to fly out of Sydney airport on September 8.
Ms Ngo told the court she left home early to go to organise a celebration at her Buddhist temple in Sunshine, but said Tran, who is not Buddhist, went to meet a friend.
When she returned at 2pm Tran was not home, and she told the court she was “really pissed off” when he had still not come home by evening.
After trying unsuccessfully to contact him he finally answered his phone and she reminded him of his 9pm curfew, but that time came and went and he became uncontactable.
Ms Ngo said she was worried about her husband’s safety and contacted police on Monday morning hoping they knew where he was, she told the court, and when she asked them again the next day they told her he had left the country.
Magistrate Swadesir adjourned the application to October, and issued a warrant for Tran’s arrest.
Header image: Police during the drug bust in the factory where Tran was arrested (Geelong Advertiser).
The post Vietnamese illegal immigrant drug trafficker given bail – flees Australia on false passport first appeared on The Noticer.
The Noticer
