A man from Tonga, previously deported from Australia, has been convicted for his involvement in the creation of a branch of the notorious Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang in Tonga. This significant legal case marks the first application of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Act in the Tongan courts, with Eneasi Taumoefolau found guilty by a judge.
Taumoefolau is now facing a potential sentence of up to 25 years, with his sentencing scheduled for a later date. He is currently serving a life sentence in Tonga’s primary correctional facility after being convicted in 2025 for smuggling over 2 kilograms of methamphetamine from the United States into Tonga.
In connection with the Comancheros case, three other individuals were also charged and brought to trial. Tevita Shoji, a deportee from New Zealand, was found guilty, while two others—Lolomana’ia Tilini and Sione Tafokitau, both deportees from Australia—were acquitted.
According to court documents, Taumoefolau held the president position of the Tongan chapter. Justice Elisapeti Langi noted that he was often seen wearing Comanchero attire, riding a motorcycle prominently displaying the gang’s insignia, and had a storage unit stocked with a considerable amount of Comanchero uniforms and insignia.
In an exclusive interview earlier this year with ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program, Taumoefolau denied establishing a Comancheros chapter in Tonga, asserting that he had considered it but ultimately decided against it, fearing that potential recruits lacked the necessary criminal experience to adhere to the gang’s strict regulations.
Speaking from prison this week, Taumoefolau reiterated his stance, questioning the basis of the court’s decision. “I don’t know how they’ve come to that conclusion,” he remarked. “We have no clubhouse. We have no setups.”
Justice Langi stated she was persuaded that the defendants had formed a group, supported by evidence, including the contents of a storage unit containing numerous Comanchero garments and communications among the defendants. Messages presented in court revealed Taumoefolau telling one of his co-defendants, “We got gang work to do.”
Communication records indicated that Taumoefolau frequently contacted Shoji, who was identified as a nominee or prospective member of the gang. In one text, Taumoefolau referred to Shoji as “the best nom eva (sic).” Additional evidence included Taumoefolau expressing his intent to provide a “nom” T-shirt to a drug offender incarcerated in Tonga.
Further court documents disclosed text messages from July 2024 between Taumoefolau and a contact in New Zealand. These messages included a request from the New Zealand contact for photos to be sent to an inmate at Auckland Prison, who was reportedly Pasilika Naufahu, the president of the Comancheros’ New Zealand branch. The contact cautioned Taumoefolau against sharing images displaying gang colors, as such actions are prohibited in prison.
During this period, discussions between Taumoefolau and his New Zealand contact also revolved around planning an annual “National Run” in Tonga, a gathering for motorcycle club members to ride along a designated route. The contact encouraged Taumoefolau to arrange food, drinks, accommodations, and “taahines” (girls).
In response to inquiries from ABC, Taumoefolau claimed he did not recall these conversations and dismissed any link between Naufahu and the attempted establishment of a chapter in Tonga.
Taumoefolau and Shoji were arrested dramatically in August 2024 in the capital of Tonga, with heavily armed tactical response officers firing into the engine of Shoji’s vehicle, which contained a bag of methamphetamine. Photos obtained by ABC as part of the trial evidence depicted Taumoefolau being escorted by police as they searched various locations for gang-related items following his arrest. The images included one of him at a storage unit, registered in his partner’s name, where authorities discovered bags of clothing emblazoned with the Comanchero logo and various other items.
There was also a photograph of him alongside police in a parking lot at Nuku’alofa airport, where additional gang paraphernalia was uncovered in a vehicle previously driven by Shoji, including a vest labeled “Commander.”
Earlier this year, Taumoefolau revealed that his motivation for attempting to set up a branch in Tonga stemmed from a desire to “piss off the Australian government,” which had deported him in 2022 following multiple drug-related convictions. “It was just stupid,” he admitted. “I was reckless, and I thought, ‘I’ll do it because it’ll really, really piss them off,’” he told Foreign Correspondent.
Since March, Taumoefolau has been held in an isolation cell in Tonga’s main prison, where he described his conditions as “23-hour lockdown.” Neither he nor prison authorities could clarify the reasons for his removal from the general population. He intends to appeal both this conviction and his previous drug charge.
The issue of drug trafficking is increasingly pressing in Pacific Island nations, with a notable rise in smuggling operations linked to Australia’s high demand for methamphetamine and cocaine, which has been characterized by the Australian Federal Police commissioner as an “insatiable appetite.” In response to this escalating crisis, the Australian government recently allocated $600 million towards a new initiative aimed at curbing drug smuggling in the region.
Tonga’s police commissioner, Geoff Turner, emphasized the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat drug-related crimes in the area.
