By TONY WALL
Security around a man who allegedly masterminded one of the biggest shipments of heroin into the United States is as tight as that for visiting heads of state during Apec.
But the Herald has managed to photograph the man, Hing Hung Wong, as he worked out in a gym at a secret location in Auckland.
Wong, aged 37, is alleged to have organised a plot to import 256kg of heroin worth hundreds of millions of dollars into California in the mid-1990s. It was the biggest heroin haul intercepted by US authorities.
Wong is on an extraordinary set of bail conditions not seen before in this country, including being watched 24 hours a day by two security guards.
The Herald spent several days watching the apartment building he is living in, and finally photographed him as he prepared for a workout.
First, a security guard with a walkie-talkie entered the gym and did a thorough search of the room and looked out the windows.
About 90 minutes later the guard and his colleague returned, with Wong in between them. They made Wong wait while they again searched every nook and cranny of the gym.
Finally Wong changed and began weight-training.
When the security guards noticed the photographer outside, they approached him and later rang the Herald to confirm his identity.
Wong's lawyer, John Haigh, QC, said the "extraordinary concerns" about Wong's security were not justified, based on the evidence that would be presented at his extradition hearing in June.
Wong is believed to have arrived here on a Thai passport in November 1998 and to have lived in Mission Bay.
The FBI found him in January.
As part of his bail conditions, he has paid $100,000 for a security anklet and the two guards, plus a $200,000 bond to the court.
He has supplied a map of the apartment building, showing all doors and lifts, and can leave only to visit his lawyer. Also, his telephone is bugged and he cannot use a cellphone or the Internet.
Wong is said to be the head of a crime syndicate that shipped drugs from Thailand to the US, Australia and Europe.
A lawyer acting for the United States Government, Christine Gordon, told the High Court at Auckland that Wong had a "history of previous violence when his organisation has been threatened," and there was a risk he could escape.
She urged the court to overturn the bail because the Chubb guards could be overpowered or bribed, part of Wong's building had previously been used as a brothel and a man using the building had been linked with fake passports.
Auckland man too dangerous to be allowed out of jail, says the US
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.