NRL club Brisbane Broncos have rallied around star forward Payne Haas after his father was arrested in the Philippines on drug charges this week.
The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas could face the death penalty if convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia.
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested on Wednesday by police in Cebu City, in the central Visayas region of the Philippines.
The Philippine Immigration Bureau has released mugshots of Haas Sr. and efforts are underway to extradite him to Jakarta to face charges.
Police said they have been trying to track down Haas Sr. since 5kg of methamphetamine was allegedly found at an undisclosed location in December.
Philippine police also stated that Haas is a high-profile suspect allegedly linked to a Mexican cartel, and that the US Drug Enforcement Agency was involved in the investigation.
“We have good cooperation with the Australian police, so we will also work with them.” Said the spokesperson of the National Narcotics Agency, Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono.
Gregor Johann Haas, the father of Brisbane Broncos superstar Payne Haas, poses for his mugshot after being arrested in the Philippines.
Haas now faces extradition to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he could face a firing squad.
Under Indonesia’s tough drug import laws, those found in possession of illicit drugs can face the prospect of a life behind bars or the firing squad.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told the Australian Associated Press they are providing consular assistance to an Australian arrested in the Philippines but cannot comment further due to privacy obligations.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest anyone else from the Haas family is involved.
Payne’s mother, Joan Taufua, is in prison facing manslaughter charges after a car she was driving killed three people in 2022.
Payne has been caring for her two younger brothers ever since. The Broncos have rallied behind Payne following the latest family incident.
Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters said the club would support Haas Jnr in every way.
Pat Carrigan, pictured left, is a good friend of Haas Jnr and holds him in high regard.
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters says the club supports Haas “in every way”.
“Payne is a very strong person and so is his family. “A lot of people probably don’t understand or realize who Payne is,” Walters said.
“He’s a tremendous guy, a great family person and at this time he’s going through we will surround him in every way we can to support him and his family.” That’s all we can do.
“Payne is a great person of integrity … and what he is doing with his family even before this incident is something we should have a lot of respect for.”
Payne’s close friend and teammate Pat Carrigan spoke about the high regard in which the Australian prop and five-time Broncos player of the year is held.
“Everyone knows what Payne Haas can do as a football player. He and I are very close, we’re probably like family now, the two of us,” Carrigan said.
“His resilience and his affection, he is the first to take care of all the kids and then there is the burden he voluntarily carries for us as a club, but his family is also very special.
“If there were more people like Payne Haas in the world, I think it would be a better place.”
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested Wednesday by police in Cebu City, Philippines.
Payne Haas (left) and her father Gregor pictured at the 2019 Dally M Awards
Haas Sr. is expected to be extradited from the city of Manila, where he has been detained since his arrest, to Indonesia.
However, Australian officials may have to approve the extradition.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian arrested in the Philippines.
Indonesian officials told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian Federal Police was not involved in the arrest.
The last Australians to be executed in Indonesia were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the convicted ringleaders of the Bali Nine drug traffickers, in 2015.
The nine Australians were arrested while attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilos of heroin into Australia on a flight from Bali airport in 2005.
Of the remaining seven, only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released, while another, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died in prison from cancer.
Police said they have been trying to track down Haas Sr. since 5kg of methamphetamine was allegedly found at an undisclosed location in December. His arrest is in the photo.
The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas (pictured) could face the death penalty after being accused of trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs into Indonesia.
The arrest comes after father-of-two Troy Smith was charged with drug possession and trafficking after Indonesian authorities raided his hotel room on April 30.
Officers allegedly found more than 3 grams of methamphetamine in a toothpaste tube, a bong, and 0.04 grams of methamphetamine in a sunglasses case.
The 49-year-old’s lawyers have argued that Smith bought the methamphetamine in Bali and struggles with addiction issues.
They said the package was sent to their client by a friend as a thank you for helping with the purchase of a car and that they did not know what was in it.
Smith is currently being held in an overcrowded cell at Denpasar police headquarters.
