Authorities in Western Australia have filed charges against three individuals for their involvement in an attempted people smuggling operation along the northern coastline of the state.

According to WA Police, the individuals were allegedly attempting to facilitate the escape of a suspected fugitive from Queensland.

This alleged gang member, identified as a 32-year-old man tied to an outlaw motorcycle gang, has been taken into custody and is set to be extradited back to Queensland.

This incident marks the first occasion in which individuals in Western Australia have faced charges related to attempted people smuggling.

The apprehensions occurred when the Western Australia Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (WA JOCTF) intercepted a yacht on Monday morning. The vessel, found off the coast of Exmouth, approximately 1,250 kilometers north of Perth, was reportedly en route to Indonesia.

Two of the individuals charged, 46-year-old Cass Williams and 45-year-old Jessica Beckett, both from Queensland, appeared at the Carnarvon Magistrates Court on Tuesday to answer to the charges of attempted people smuggling.

Additionally, a 40-year-old woman from New South Wales, Fatma Skaf, was taken into custody on Monday while traveling between Exmouth and Karratha and has also been charged with the same offense. She subsequently appeared in Karratha Magistrates Court.

The WA JOCTF has been conducting an investigation into this alleged smuggling operation since last month, and efforts to uncover the broader syndicate involved are still ongoing.

All three individuals charged with attempted people smuggling have been remanded in custody. The fugitive from Queensland will face extradition back to his home state under a return to prison warrant along with a warrant for drug trafficking.