CA orders BI to release Filipino-Australian wanted in Indonesia over alleged drug links

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the release of Gregor Johann Haas, a suspected drug syndicate member, from detention by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). 

The CA affirmed the ruling issued by Taguig City Regional Trial Court Branch 267 in December 2024 that granted the habeas corpus petition by Haas’ Filipino mother, Soledad. 

Haas has been detained by the BI since his arrest in May 2024 following a deportation request from the Indonesian authorities as he was wanted for drug trafficking. He arrived in the Philippines in August 2023 using his Australian passport. 

An Associated Press report tagged Haas as one of “Indonesia’s most-wanted drug suspects,” while a BI official said he is “a high-profile fugitive for being an alleged member of the Sinaloa cartel, a large international organized crime syndicate based in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, that specializes in drug trafficking and money laundering activities.”

In her petition before the Taguig court, however, Soledad argued that her son is a Filipino citizen and therefore cannot be subjected to deportation proceedings.

In its February 5 decision, the appellate court said Haas’ continued detention violated his constitutional rights, noting that no deportation proceedings had been initiated since his arrest and that there was no notice or commitment order from a trial court.

Despite an August 2025 letter from Indonesia to the BI stating that it was processing Haas’ extradition, “there is no record to date showing that the said extradition proceeding has already been commenced.”

“While the Bureau’s power to issue warrants or effect warrantless arrests stems from the police power of the State to restrain and regulate the use of liberty and property for the general welfare, such right is not unlimited as it should not be utilized to violate constitutionally guaranteed rights of a person,” the CA said.

The court also ruled that Haas is a natural-born Filipino citizen, adding that “the Bureau has no jurisdiction to deport Gregor, as he is not an alien.”

Haas’ name surfaced in September 2024 amid allegations that Indonesian authorities wanted him handed over in exchange for the return of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac, mayor Alice Guo.

The former mayor, who had been issued a warrant for contempt, was arrested in Indonesia after escaping the Philippines. Guo was eventually brought back to the country and later convicted of human trafficking. – Rappler.com