NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

West Coast beekeeper turns Brazilian drug mule in sophisticated scam

By Lane Nichols
Reporter & Deputy Head of News·NZ Herald·
26 Aug, 2021 06:00 AM8 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

From Greymouth to São Paulo’s slums, Roy Arbon’s adventure ends in kidnap and imprisonment on foreign soil leaving him facing life behind bars. Uncovering every twist and turn of his riches-to-rags ride, does he really understand how close he came to catastrophe? Made with funding from NZ on Air.

Pensioner Rob Arbon went from tending bees on the West Coast to facing life in an Australian jail for trafficking cocaine from Brazil. A new Loading Docs documentary investigates how a remarkable life was derailed by relentless Nigerian scammers.

West Coast beekeeper Roy Arbon is not your typical international drug mule.

The 72-year-old pensioner is more at home in the bush than he is jet setting across the globe to ferry suspicious suitcases packed with illegal narcotics for international organised crime.

The former alpine climber and search and rescue hero has had his fair share of adventures and close scrapes.

He made his money working on oil rigs drilling for black gold in the North Sea.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was working in Antarctica when flight TE901 smashed into the side of Mt Erebus and was among those who helped pull bodies from the twisted wreckage.

Roy Arbon tending his bees at Otira on the West Coast. Photo / Loading Docs
Roy Arbon tending his bees at Otira on the West Coast. Photo / Loading Docs

He also responded in the aftermath of the Cave Creek disaster, winning commendations for his work recovering the dead after the West Coast DoC platform collapsed into a ravine.

"That affected me a lot."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Arbon was locked up briefly in a Kenyan jail for accidentally breaking a train window. And he once broke his back falling from scaffolding – preventing him from embarking on a Himalayan climbing expedition, on which he was later replaced by Rob Hall.

He's known for his immense physical strength, his delicious organic honey, which he still sells every week in Greymouth, and his stubborn determination.

Arbon spent 18 months in jail before a jury found him not guilty of intentionally trafficking illegal drugs. Photo / Loading Docs
Arbon spent 18 months in jail before a jury found him not guilty of intentionally trafficking illegal drugs. Photo / Loading Docs

But he's also known as the West Coast beekeeper who was arrested at Perth Airport in February 2016 after Customs officials discovered 2.5kg of high-grade cocaine hidden in the lining of a suitcase he had transported from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Just how he found himself facing life behind bars for trafficking A class drugs is as tragic as it is utterly bizarre.

Discover more

New Zealand|education

'Alarm bells': 11yo girl approached by lockdown scammer

20 Aug 09:00 PM
New Zealand

An unconventional path to being one of our top private investigators

21 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Police freeze nearly $1.9m linked to alleged VenusFX fraud

14 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand|crime

Facebook Marketplace scam: Woman charged after tool sold 47 times, never delivered

12 Aug 01:55 AM

Arbon's story is now the focus of a new Loading Docs short documentary - The Scam - screening on nzherald.co.nz.

His inadvertent foray as a drug mule was the culmination of a series of elaborate scams that left Arbon "broken" and drained of nearly half a million dollars.

Sophisticated criminals based in Nigeria first "got their hooks into him" in about 2013.

Once he was on their radar as naive and susceptible, Arbon's details appear to have been harvested and on-sold to other scammers as a vulnerable target to be repeatedly milked.

No one is quite sure when the first scam commenced, but Arbon told the Herald he recalls losing about $2500 in an initial finance scam about eight years ago which involved him sending money overseas.

Scammer targeted the 72-year-old over several years, draining him of nearly half a million dollars. Photo / Loading Docs
Scammer targeted the 72-year-old over several years, draining him of nearly half a million dollars. Photo / Loading Docs

Next, he's believed to have received an email from a person purporting to be a Russian dental assistant looking for love but in need of cash.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was single and lonely. Perhaps it seemed like the perfect match. Arbon is thought to have made repeated international money transfers in the doomed pursuit of female companionship.

His good friend of 30 years Graeme Macilquham says it's unclear how much Arbon lost to the imaginary Russian - "he plays his cards very close to his chest" - but it was only the start.

Years later, while Arbon sat in an Australian prison cell, friends tidying up his flat discovered enough Western Union receipts to "wallpaper the whole house".

Next came an inheritance scam which would leave Arbon in an even greater financial hole.

Arbon was contacted by someone overseas about an opportunity involving "a box full of cash". He was told it contained assorted treasures, including $17 million that he'd get a percentage of if he helped courier it around the globe to avoid foreign "death duties".

He was sent photos of the apparent riches as proof and agreed to take part.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Arbon – who would later be diagnosed with a cognitive impairment - shared news of his good fortune with Macilquham.

"I said, 'Roy chuck that bit of paper away – it's a scam'."

But Arbon was again taken in, sending repeated cash transfers offshore over the next few months to cover supposed Customs duties needed to secure the box's release.

Eventually he lost nearly $200,000, which he financed through the sale of his farm near Barrytown.

Roy Arbon is a former alpine climber who made his money drilling for oil in the North Sea. Photo / Loading Docs
Roy Arbon is a former alpine climber who made his money drilling for oil in the North Sea. Photo / Loading Docs

"The whole lot went to Nigeria," Macilquham said.

"He came in and said, 'I've lost all my money, I've lost everything. I've been ripped off'. He was just broken."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Arbon told the Herald he was "pissed off" after realising it was all a ruse.

"I thought, 'Man, I've been done again.'"

And though they had cleaned him out this time, the scammers weren't done with Arbon yet.

Sometime in 2015 he received another email – this time from a Roger Cook claiming he was from Santander Bank in London, saying Arbon was eligible for a US$120,000 loan. But he needed to travel overseas to sign finance documents to enable the money's release.

Arbon - who admits he's a trusting person - saw this as an opportunity to recoup some of his losses and invest in his honey business.

In February 2016 – unbeknown to his close friends - Arbon made his way to Christchurch Airport before boarding a flight to Brazil.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
After arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Roy Arbon lost his wallet and waited for 24 hours without food. Photo / Loading Docs
After arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Roy Arbon lost his wallet and waited for 24 hours without food. Photo / Loading Docs

He promptly lost his wallet and waited at Sao Paulo airport without food for 24 hours before his "contacts" arranged for him to taxi to the city's outskirts where he says he was held by two men who swapped his bags.

He was given a suitcase, driven back to the airport and told to fly to India.

Arbon insists he checked the suitcase for anything illicit, but found only clothes.

"I pulled all the gear out to see what was in there.

"I never thought I was carrying drugs. I thought it could be money. It could be gold. It could be jewellery. It could be anything. I didn't even know what cocaine looked like. I've never seen cocaine."

He could not board the flight to India without a yellow fever vaccination so his contacts bought him another ticket, this time to Perth, via Dubai.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Perth Customs officers discovered 2.5kg of cocaine hidden in the lining of Arbon's suitcase and he was thrown in prison. Photo / Loading Docs
Perth Customs officers discovered 2.5kg of cocaine hidden in the lining of Arbon's suitcase and he was thrown in prison. Photo / Loading Docs

Perth Customs officers discovered the drugs inside the suitcase. He was arrested for drug trafficking and thrown in jail pending trial.

Arbon's first lawyer judged his case as hopeless, telling him, "You f***ed up", and advising him to plead guilty.

After Arbon sacked the solicitor, his new defence team hired private investigator Therese Bogart to unravel the case and track what had led to Arbon's boarding a plane overseas to unwittingly traffic drugs.

She gained access to his computer and trawled through hundreds of emails from the scammers to build a picture of how he had been duped, which would later be presented as evidence in court.

She also tracked the IP addresses and phone numbers back to Nigeria – a likely signpost he had been scammed.

Bogart told the Herald the criminals who used Arbon to ferry their narcotics were educated, clever and experienced.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"These people who are doing the drugs scams are at the top of their game. They're highly skilled and they're covering their tracks."

Roy Arbon - who lost nearly half a million dollars to Nigerian scammers - says he's a trusting person. Photo / Loading Docs
Roy Arbon - who lost nearly half a million dollars to Nigerian scammers - says he's a trusting person. Photo / Loading Docs

The scam masterminds were rarely caught and police rarely investigated such scams, she said, preferring to prosecute slam dunk drug importation cases such as Arbon's.

She said without her investigations uncovering the lengths the Nigerian criminals had gone to lure Arbon overseas and trick him into ferrying the suitcase, he would likely still be incarcerated.

"I hate to see anyone, not just Roy, put away in prison when they're innocent. It's unfair.

"It's injustice enough that he had to go through all these scams, lose his money, lose everything he had – that's a lot for a person to take."

Eighteen months after Arbon's arrest, a jury returned not guilty verdicts, before he was eventually deported home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Now living in Otira, he is thankful he was not caught with the drugs in Dubai, where he could have been executed as a drug trafficker.

"It was pretty harrowing, I can tell you.

"In total I probably lost close to half a million. But it's only money, I'm still alive. Money is meant to be spent."

Macilquham said it later emerged the Brazil trip was not the first time Arbon had ferried a suspicious suitcase.

"He'd done it before."

It also emerged that Arbon had even been contacted by Scotland Yard detectives at one point warning him he was being used, but had refused to listen, Macilquham said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"He's just a soft touch and he just couldn't see it.

"I told him if he does it again he's on his own. If I get a call from bloody Timbuctoo and he's locked up in prison, he's staying there."

Arbon says despite what he's been through he still tries to see the best in people.

"The Lord trusted Judas. If you can't trust people you might as well die."

But he admits he's grown wiser and says he hasn't been scammed since.

Arbon's advice to anyone receiving dubious emails about fantastic financial opportunities overseas?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Don't answer them. Delete them straight away. And talk to the police."

• The Scam is part of the 2021 Loading Docs collection and can be viewed online via nzherald.co.nz/loadingdocs and www.loadingdocs.net

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

In Vogue: How a self-taught hobby became a globally sought-after business

Auckland
|Updated

One dead after concrete truck falls on Remuera house

Auckland
|Updated

Malachi Subecz’s mother cries in court as she recalls final call with murdered son


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

In Vogue: How a self-taught hobby became a globally sought-after business
New Zealand

In Vogue: How a self-taught hobby became a globally sought-after business

Michaela McBride started her business 10 years ago.

14 Jul 02:46 AM
One dead after concrete truck falls on Remuera house
Auckland
|Updated

One dead after concrete truck falls on Remuera house

14 Jul 02:44 AM
Malachi Subecz’s mother cries in court as she recalls final call with murdered son
Auckland
|Updated

Malachi Subecz’s mother cries in court as she recalls final call with murdered son

14 Jul 02:41 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP