Stanis Hulahau, who was the former chief migration officer in Papua New Guinea, has denied having any knowledge of the $10,000 payment or the visa for Mei “Gigi” Lin, who was arrested in Brisbane for allegedly being involved in a drug cartel. Ms. Lin was charged for her involvement in enabling a “black flight” in March 2023, that carried over 71 kilograms of methamphetamine from a remote PNG airstrip to Australia, and is currently awaiting trial in Brisbane.
It is alleged that Ms. Lin used encrypted communications to coordinate the drug flight with members of an Australia-based syndicate, and a number of people have been charged over the black flight in both Australia and Papua New Guinea. Reports suggest that Ms. Lin instructed an Australia-based businessman to pay $10,000 to obtain a visa so he could take part in the drug trafficking scheme, and the money was allegedly transferred to a bank account belonging to Stanis Hulahau, the then chief migration officer of PNG.
Although Mr. Hulahau insisted that he had no awareness of the transaction and the visa was granted electronically, he subsequently resigned from his position following allegations that companies linked to Ms. Lin had received Australian government money under a refugee program administered by the Papua New Guinea government. The program, known as the PNG Humanitarian Program, is now under investigation due to complaints and reports of impropriety.
The Australian Federal Police allege that the black flight intercepted in March 2023 was likely intended to be the first in an ongoing commercial business of importing methamphetamine from PNG to Australia, and the methamphetamine found on that flight showed similarities to an earlier seized shipment in PNG in November 2022. This case highlights the alleged activities of drug trafficking between PNG and Australia and the subsequent unrest and investigations into government-initiated programs.