Footy star Payne Haas’ dad is arrested on drugs charges in Indonesia – and could face the DEATH PENALTY if found guilty

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 in Cebu City, in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, on Wednesday. 

Police said they have been trying to track Haas Snr down ever since 5kg of methamphetamine was found at an undisclosed location in December. 

‘We suspect him to have networks all over Asia, and we also suspect he has networks in Australia,’ National Narcotics Agency spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono said.

‘We have good cooperation with Australian police, so we will work with them too.’

Under Indonesia’s harsh drug importation laws those found in possession of illicit drugs can face the prospect of life behind bars or the firing squad. 

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting anyone else in the Haas family is involved. 

Haas Snr is expected to be extradited from the city of Manila, where he has been held in custody since his arrest, to Indonesia. 

However, officials in Australia may need to give approval for the extradition. 

The Australian 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 were 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 smugglers, in 2015. 

The nine Australians were arrested trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia on a flight out of Bali’s airport in 2005.

Of the remaining seven only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released from jail while another Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in prison of cancer.

The arrest comes after father-of-two Troy Smith was accused of drug possession and drug trafficking after Indonesian authorities raided his hotel room on April 30. 

Officers allegedly found more than 3g of methamphetamine in a tube of toothpaste, a bong and 0.04 of methamphetamine in a sunglasses case. 

The 49-year-old’s lawyers have argued that Smith purchased the methamphetamine in Bali and struggles with addiction issues. 

They said the package was sent to their client from a friend as thanks for helping with the purchase of a car, and he did not know what it contained. 

Smith is currently being held in a crowded cell at police headquarters in Denpasar.