A Man Was Sent Back to Tonga and Tried to Annoy Australia

Topic: Organized Crime

A man named Eneasi Taumoefolau was arrested in 2024, and people were worried that a gang called the Comancheros was getting into Tonga.

A man who was sent back to Tonga from Australia said he tried to start a Comancheros group there to bother the Australian government.

Eneasi Taumoefolau's arrest in 2024 made international news, and people were worried that the Comancheros had gotten into Tonga.

Taumoefolau said he didn't fully succeed in starting the group because the people in Tonga weren't sophisticated enough.

He said, 'It was stupid. I was reckless and wanted to bother them.'

Taumoefolau was sent back to Tonga in 2022 after being in trouble with the law in Australia.

He was found guilty of bringing a lot of methamphetamine into Tonga and was given a life sentence.

Eneasi Taumoefolau is in a Tongan jail for life.

He has a Comancheros tattoo on his leg.

Taumoefolau talked to us because he thinks he's been treated unfairly as a symbol of people who get in trouble with the law after being sent back to their home country.

Many people who were sent back to Tonga from other countries are in jail there.

In Tonga, if you bring in a lot of certain drugs, you can get a life sentence.

The jails in Tonga are very crowded with people who have gotten in trouble with drugs.

Even though the punishments can be harsh, the people in jail have some freedoms.

The jail where Taumoefolau is doesn't have a fence, and people have escaped before.

When we visited, Taumoefolau was smoking outside his cell.

This is what the jail in Tonga looks like.

These are the people in the jail.

Taumoefolau got a tattoo of the Comancheros after he was sent back to Tonga.

He said, 'Maybe it's obvious, but I don't regret it. I just shouldn't have shown it off so much.'

#comancheroboss

Taumoefolau left Tonga when he was a kid and grew up in Australia.

As an adult, he got involved in crime in Sydney and was part of a bikie gang.

He said, 'It's all my fault. I made bad choices, and that's how I ended up here.'

Watch the first part of our investigation.

A judge once said that Taumoefolau's crimes were because he wanted easy money.

After he was sent back to Tonga, he lived a fancy life and posted about it on social media.

He said he was still mad at the Australian government for sending him back.

He felt like he was being told he wouldn't succeed, and that made him want to prove them wrong.

These are Taumoefolau's TikTok videos.

His videos showed him with lots of money and fancy things, and he talked about gangs.

He even wore a Comancheros shirt while getting a haircut.

When police found Comancheros stuff, it showed he was trying to start a group in Tonga.

He said, 'I got the patches, but then I realized it wasn't going to work here.'

He said the people in Tonga weren't sophisticated enough for a gang like the Comancheros.

The Comancheros have strict rules, and Taumoefolau wasn't sure people in Tonga would follow them.

Police found Comancheros vests and patches, which they used as evidence.

There were patches that said 'Comancheros Tonga'.

Taumoefolau said that in Tonga, people talk too much and don't keep secrets.

Even the other prisoners would talk about their crimes.

He said the people in Tonga aren't ready for organized crime.

In Australia, the Comancheros are known for being violent and involved in big crimes.

Taumoefolau's brother was part of the Comancheros and is in jail for murder.

Police in Tonga were worried about the Comancheros getting established there.

The police commissioner said the biggest danger is the Comancheros connecting with other crime groups.

This is the police commissioner of Tonga.

He thinks Tonga has a growing gang problem, not a gang culture.

He said they did a good job stopping the Comancheros in Tonga.

Now, he's looking into how much gang influence is still in Tonga.

He said, 'It's a small place, and we have good street intelligence.'

Operation Burrito

The police got a tip from someone on the street, which led to Taumoefolau's arrest.

It started in February 2024 when a police officer found out about a plan to bring methamphetamine into Tonga.

The police informant helped them catch 17 people involved in the plan.

We have footage of the police arresting Taumoefolau.

He was caught with a bag of methamphetamine and tried to drive away.

Another man tried to escape, but the police stopped him.

The police found a lot of Comancheros gear, including a motorbike with their slogan.

The deputy commissioner said they found evidence of a gang structure and plans to recruit more members.

He said, 'We didn't expect to find so much, but it shows how much they wanted to establish themselves.'

Taumoefolau is waiting for a verdict on his trial for being part of a gang.

The court heard that the methamphetamine came from the US.

This is the deputy commissioner of Tonga Police.

Many Tongans live outside of Tonga, and there's a big Tongan community in the US.

Taumoefolau paid a lot of money to someone in California for the methamphetamine.

The police commissioner said they're working with US authorities on other investigations.

They want to extradite people or charge them in the US.

Taumoefolau is planning to appeal his conviction, but it's going to be hard.

Life in a small cell

Taumoefolau showed us his cell, which is very small and hot.

He said it's 'eye-opening' to be in a place like this.

He let himself back into his cell after our interview.

He apologized for the mess and said he wasn't expecting visitors.

The cell is small, even for a big man like Taumoefolau, and it's very hot.

There's no electricity, but inmates can use candles.

Religion is very important in the jail.

Taumoefolau said he's learning more about Tongan culture and religion in jail.

He said, 'They made me pray, which was weird but fulfilling.'

He's starting to think about his life and how it turned out.

He said, 'This life is not good. It's lonely, and you're on your own.'

He thinks young men are confused about what it's like to be in a gang.

Watch the next part of our investigation.