NRL club Brisbane Broncos have rallied around star player Payne Haas after his father was arrested in the Philippines this week for drug possession.
The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas could face the death penalty if found guilty of drug trafficking in Indonesia.
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested by police on Wednesday in Cebu City, in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration released photos of Haas Snr. Efforts are being made to extradite him to Jakarta, where he could face charges.
Police said they have been trying to track down Haas Snr 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, with the US Drug Enforcement Agency involved in the investigation.
“We have a good working relationship with the Australian police, so we will work with them as well.” This was said by spokesperson Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono of the National Narcotics Agency.
Gregor Johann Haas, father of Brisbane Broncos superstar Payne Haas, poses for his mugshot after being arrested in the Philippines
Haas will now be extradited to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he could potentially face a firing squad
Under Indonesia’s strict drug import laws, those found in possession of illegal drugs could face the prospect of life behind bars or the firing squad.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Australian Associated Press that they are providing consular assistance to an Australian man arrested in the Philippines, but cannot comment further due to privacy obligations.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting anyone else in the Haas family is involved.
Payne’s mother, Joan Taufua, is in jail and charged with manslaughter after a car she was riding in killed three people in 2022.
Payne has been caring for his two younger brothers ever since. The Broncos have rallied behind Payne after the latest family incident.
Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters said the club would support Haas Jnr in any way possible
Pat Carrigan, pictured left, is good friends with Haas Jr. and has a lot of respect for him
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters says the club supports Haas ‘in every way possible’.
“Payne is a very strong individual and so is his family. A lot of people probably don’t understand or realize who Payne is,” Walters said.
“He’s a great guy, a great family man and at this moment 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 just such a wonderful person of integrity … and what he does with his family, even before this incident, is something that we should have great 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 footballer. Me and him are really close, we’re probably like family now, just the two of us,” Carrigan said.
‘His resilience and caring, he is the first one to check on all the boys and then there is the burden that he likes to carry for us as a club, but his family is also quite special.
“If there were more like Payne Haas in the world, I think it would be a better place.”
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested by police in Cebu City, Philippines on Wednesday
Payne Haas (left) and his father Gregor are pictured at the 2019 Dally M Awards
Haas Snr is expected to be extradited from the city of Manila, where he has been in custody since his arrest, to Indonesia.
However, officials in Australia may have to authorize 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 said this Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian Federal Police were not involved in the arrest.
The last Australians to be executed in Indonesia were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the convicted leaders of the Bali Nine drug smugglers, in 2015.
The nine Australians were arrested in 2005 when they tried to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin into Australia on a flight from Bali airport.
Of the remaining seven, only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released from prison, while another Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in prison of cancer.
Police said they have been trying to track down Haas Snr since 5kg of methamphetamine was allegedly found at an undisclosed location in December. His arrest is depicted
The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas (pictured) could face the death penalty after being accused of trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs in Indonesia
The arrest comes after father-of-two Troy Smith was charged with drug possession and drug trafficking after Indonesian authorities raided his hotel room on April 30.
Officers reportedly 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 is struggling with addiction problems.
They said the package was sent to their customer by a friend as a thank you for his help with a car purchase, and he didn’t know what was inside.
Smith is currently being held in an overcrowded cell at the Denpasar police station.