Simon Golding

Operation Collage, Australian Federal Police, Operation Bergonia, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, now Border Force was a joint operation in 2010 between Australian Federal Police, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service/ Border Force, NSW Police and Australian Air Force.

Acting on a tip off from San Diego USA by a paid DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) informant, the operation commenced on the 7th October 2010 in response to information received that a Mother / Daughter vessel importation to Australia was imminent. The area of operation (AO) was identified as approximately 400NNM (800km) east of Brisbane, Australia. Intelligence suggested that a vessel was carrying one tonne of cocaine.

This sparked a massive operation, utilising aircraft assets as well as the ACBPS/ Border Force contract vessel "Ocean Protector" and the NSW Police launch "Nemesis".

The weather conditions were atrocious with weather reports of 18 meter ocean swells and severe winds which hampered the operation. Customs officers on board the Ocean Protector described the weather as "horrific and violent".

On 12th October 2010. The day after the yacht, Mayhem of Eden docked at Scarborough Marina Queensland, four persons were arrested by Australian Federal Police in Kipparing QLD. One was subsequently un-arrested that day and made an informant.

On the 13th October 2010, the vessel Ocean Protector boarded a catamaran called the "Edelweiss" and detained the crew of two in International waters. The crew, a German and a Columbian were brought to Brisbane and charged by Australian Federal Police on the 15th October 2010. The catamaran was seized and towed to Brisbane.

The Operation is surrounded by controversy and conflicting information. CUSTOMS documents revealed state that 484kg and 460kg were seized although accused were convicted on 400kg.

There were a number of miscounts of cocaine over the next days. AFP state that the Search Warrant for the yacht Mayhem of Eden was executed around 7pm on the 12th October 2010 whilst Customs state they executed the Search Warrant on the morning of the same day.

AFP unsuccessfully attempted to obtain DNA from accused but then later stated that no fingerprints or DNA were found on the evidence, the 53ft yacht or the vehicles involved.

Officers who were part of the Operation were arrested celebrating in Sydney freely handing out cocaine in the days after the raid. The names and details have been hidden ever since. Media stories concerning this were erased from the internet. See story "CUSTOMS Hid Details of Officer Snorting Cocaine after Drug Bust" by Neil Mercer March 23 2015.

Accused were stopped in a hire car and black Mercedes on the morning of 12th October 2010 and one bag was located with conflicting AFP reports of 7 kilos of cocaine in two cars, then 25, 27, 30 and then 45 kilo in one car.

The hire car was searched six times on the first day by multiple AFP officers and then also searched by two AFP forensic teams over the next three days, only for another bag sitting on the rear seat containing 20 kilos of cocaine to be found three days after arrests that was said to be not seen by all who searched the vehicle.

The officers involved in finding the bag did not take any video, photos or get an independent witness as they testified that they had no idea it contained blocks of cocaine even though it was an identical bag as the one found three days previously and two of the suspects were surveillanced putting two bags in the vehicle.

was held by then CEO Marion Grant of ACBPS and deputy AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin stating the success of the operation whilst the bag sat unaccounted in the car, in a car park with unsecured keys.

The cocaine evidence accused were convicted on was taken from the same evidence bag ignoring evidence procedure rules. There were 78 samples taken from the 400 official kilos of cocaine seized. The evidence tended to court were pictures taken from a previous cocaine seizure with completely different markings.

The charge of import was proven by evidence of one radar screen shot showing two vessels parallel and over 250 meters apart although initial Customs reports state that "Two vessels approximately 2NM from each other, and approximately 400 nautical miles East from Brisbane. Both vessels were in a direction that indicated that they would rendezvous with each other". This showed that the prosecution relied on a very different piece of evidence to convict accused. Evidence seems to be tailored. There are no photos or radar screen shots of the alleged rendezvous and one radar screen shot of the supposed 30 minutes of surveillance time of the vessels being 250m apart.

Photos of APP officers with "stuffed shirts" were shown to courts. Many officers were shown to perjure themselves in the courts during the five years of prosecution of accused. No charges have been laid on perjury, misleading evidence, misleading statements, and perversion of justice on any officers in Border Force or the Australian Federal Police.

perjured in subpoena, Freedom of Information requests and media enquiries stating that none of its officers were present at the Scarborough Marina on the 12th October 2010 only for this to be untrue and finally disclosed at the 2nd trial of accused some 5 years later. The first trial was a mistrial due to non disclosure and perjury by APP of video footage they say did not exist. The names of the Customs officers involved are still undisclosed.

A new top of the line Seadoo jetski that was on the deck of the yacht Mayhem of Eden was stolen. The yacht was on a hard stand, locked in a police compound. The jetski weighed 470kg and needed a crane to remove it. No one was ever charged.

There are unlawful Australian Crimes Commission aspects to the case. In 2015 accused, Simon Golding sued the Australian Crimes Commission (Golding v ACC), representing himself in the Federal Court. The outcome is yet to be finalised in another court.

Operation Collage/ Bergonia is believed to be the reason of the sudden and unexpected resignation of APP commissioner Tony Negus, and the name change from Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) to Border Force.

ACLEI, The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity became involved with investigating this operation/case in 2012 and stated in a letter to Golding in 2015 that investigations are ongoing in regard to Operation Collage/ Bergonia. Concerns have been raised with members of Parliament and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

1969

Simon Charles Golding (Sy), is an Australian sports adventurer, named after Simon Templar, The Saint. Born 241h January 1969, Grafton NSW into a farming family with an older brother and sister, his father was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident in 1973. Raised by single mother in Sawtell/ Coffs Harbour NSW and at Shoal bay/ Nelson bay NSW. He grew up surfing and was a member of the Sawtell board riders club and competed on the Mid North Coast into his adult life and spending considerable times in Indonesia surfing.
1987-1990
Australian Defence Force

Simon joined the Australian Defence Force completing basic training at Kapooka Barracks near Wagga Wagga NSW. Paratrooper and Rigger course at HMAS Albatross, Nowra NSW and worked primarily in Sydney as Aerial Dispatch with attachment to Campbell Barracks, Special Air Service, Swanbourne WA and Exmouth WA. He completed Open Water FAUI NAUI SCUBA qualification in this time and was scouted for modelling work in Sydney NSW which gave him limited work with catwalk, photographic and TV commercials. Work was sporadic and it was recommended by Vivien's Modelling of Sydney to travel to Milan for consistent work.
1990's
After the Military

Simon started surfing and travelling once again and racing open class motocross. In the early nineties, he had to overcome injuries from a motorcycle accident in Indonesia with concerns from Doctors fearing he may lose the use of his arm where he needed several operations on his wrist and a separate surfing accident at Uluwatu, Bali where he was knocked semi-conscious when he hit the reef with his face. In 1992 he obtained his Helicopter and Radio Operators Licence being endorsed in piston and turbine aircraft such as Robinson and Bell 206 JetRanger aircraft. In 1994, he did his Accelerated Freefall Skydiving course with the Australian Parachute Federation (APF). A year later he instructed his first student becoming an Instructor with Packer, Demonstration and Tandem licences. At this time he also completed his SCUBA Advanced, Rescue and Divemaster qualifications with PADI Australia. He was also actively Freediving, Climbing, Caving and Canyoning. Completed his lOOOth skydive in Kassel Germany at Dadaleaus Skydive Centre and went on taking up to 500 tandems a year, plus accelerated freefall students, regular as well as display jumps. Simon competed in the World skydiving championships earning a Bronze medal and participated in breaking an Australian Skydiving record, 81 way (81 linked people) in Corowa NSW. Simon began Base Jumping (World BASE number #521, Australia Base number# 56) in the mid-nineties as well as travelling extensively around the world. He jumped well known landmarks and objects in Australia and overseas including Mooney Mooney and Sydney Harbour Bridge. He was a participant in breaking a BASE jump world record, (Youtube simongolding) 24 way (24 jumpers) off Kjerag Norway and has contributed to various Russian extreme sports documentaries etc. He went on to pilot early production wingsuit technology and evolution off cliffs in Europe. His wingsuits were Custom made in Slovakia.
2000-2010
Managing Director company Isis Citadel Pty Ltd and imported Coffee and furniture.

Simon snow skis, snow boards, water-ski, bare foot and wakeboards, paints, writes and has won some small awards in photography. He is a competent horse rider and owned a 17 hand chestnut thoroughbred with heart shaped blaze named "Montana".
2007
Ocean Tragedy - In 2007, Simon was sailing to the Caribbean West Indies with friend Andrew Witton who was tragically lost overboard of his yacht below and between Pitcairn Island and Rapa Nui, Chile (Easter Island). Simon was forced to stop the search and continue solo sailing when the 55 foot yacht was hit by cyclonic winds and received damage to sails.

Contact was made to a New Zealand vessel shortly after. He controversially decided not to abandon the yacht but to protect Andy's belongings and get to shore, which was to be over another month away. The voyage became progressively worse with no fresh water; he was forced to drink rancid water found in tanks on board. The autopilot failed regularly, diesel motor problems, fuel problems and the yacht began sinking, taking on at times hundreds of litres and needing to be pumped out by bilge pumps, which also ultimately failed. When he finally approached Isabella Island Galapagos and the port of Villamil the engine progressively failed and the Humboldt current drifted the stricken yacht in the opposite direction, A problem was isolated to be water in the fuel and the engine was operable once more. By this time Simon was near to exhaustion, had survived on around 4 hours sleep a day, little water and had lost around 12 kilos of weight, surviving on raw flying fish collected on deck daily and little rain water. · The yacht then nearly collided with the crescent shaped Tortuga Island in Galapagos while he slept. When he reached land he subsequently had his passport confiscated by Ecuadorian authorities and was forced to live in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos for around a year while police, navy and prosecutors forensically examined and intensively investigated the tragedy where it was finally concluded to be an accident. Simon in this time received much criticism for his actions through misinformation, rumours and innuendo. He learnt to speak and write Spanish in this time. The locals named him "El Cucube" (Coo-Coo-Bay). The mocking bird. He fell ill and was misdiagnosed and treated by the local hospital only to have a local friend’s· visiting cousin who was a Doctor on the mainland to properly diagnose the seriousness of his condition which was due to Hepatitis B, believed to be from drinking the rancid water on board the yacht months earlier with complications of a broken wrist from an un-associated adventure activity., By the time he was emergency airlifted to Quito, the capitol of Ecuador, he was blind, paralysed and was told he had around an hour to live. He was robbed in this time by his nurse, however made a full recovery and over a month later was given his passport to travel back to Australia. Shortly after arriving back to Australia, he moved to Europe with his then girlfriend, a UK lawyer. Later, whilst in Panama City he was poisoned with Burandanga by a Columbian woman in an abduction/kidnapping attempt. He escaped by jumping from a multiple story building and scaling over a razor wire fence and was almost shot, to then go home to Europe to recover from injuries and start writing his first book "Esp era Aqui". Wait Here. In the late 2000's he returned to Australia and was subjected to a coronial inquest into the death of Andy Witton. In 2010 he was arrested in Queensland Australia for the importation of Cocaine in a joint operation by Australian Federal Police, Operation Collage and Australian Customs and Border Patrol Service, now Border Force, Operation Bergonia. On September 16 2015, Simon was sentenced to 30 years in gaol and is currently serving time in a maximum-security prison in Queensland where he is currently appealing his conviction.

This is an enquiry into ongoing corruption and as to why Government has failed in its duty and obligation to act against systemic and incessant corruption of Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF), formerly known as Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS). This inaction is despite the Australian Commission of Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) being given undisputable proof of corruption, misconduct and perversion of justice by officers involved in Operation Collage/Bergonia. The ACLEI investigation into this corruption has gone on for over four years and has translated to ZERO. Not one AFP agent involved has been reprimanded in any way, they have in fact instead been promoted. One ACBPS/ABF officer was charged and summonsed to court out of the many caught with stolen evidence. None have done any gaol time or seen a court room and like the officers involved from the AFP have also been promoted. The 20 Customs agents that were present at Scarborough Marina on the 12th October 2010 are still hidden by Border Force. The Neil Mercer story in the Sydney Morning Herald on the 23rd March 2015 titled "Customs Hid Details of Officer Snorting Cocaine after Drug Bust" only touches on the corruption. Please see drop box on twitter: simonxgolding for original letters of request, evidence and links. This is how corrupt officers entrusted to protect this country are culturally protected and even promoted when they steal drugs for their own profit and greed. They are simply put back into their jobs when they should clearly be held to a much higher accountability. Who is worse and more dangerous between someone who is accused/charged of importing drugs or someone who is a bonded officer of the law, sworn to protect and uphold the law and steals drugs for personal gain, then hides and constantly tailors evidence to suit them.

AFP were so blatant in stealing evidence, that they put stolen bags into the very same cars as the accused. This is why AFP agents Burgess and Read made no mention of returning to the marina in their copy/pasted statements which start at 12 midday when they commenced work at 4am on the 12th October 2010. The AFP and Customs agents were not only content with breaching search warrants and stealing drugs at the yacht. They also were keen to get their own personal gains, that they stole from the car a few kilometres away where they surveilled two persons carry two bags and placed them in a car. Only for one bag to be found after six searches on the first day. Then, two forensic teams go over the car for a further two days and still no 2nd bag was found. AFP state that no one ever saw the $5 Million dollars worth of cocaine on the back seat of the car in those three days. It was stolen by AFP agents and then replaced with drugs from another seizure. It was planted 3 days after arrests. Almost every AFP agent involved lied under oath about the bags in the car because they know it was stolen from the back seat by AFP. Here are some transcript of those who did not lie.

Full Transcript

This is an official request for someone to finally act against incessant corruption in Border Force and the Australian Federal Police. This has been raised with all members of the Federal Parliament before the election but largely ignored.

This inquiry needs to be asked with your Parliamentary privilege or even a public enquiry. ACLEI, the agency tasked to investigate and charge for corruption are not acting even after they are given undisputable proof and material evidence for serious charges including perjury, misleading statements, tampering with evidence, removing property under seizure, theft and perversion of justice relating to AFP officers Aaron Burgess, Luke Read, Paul Watt, Simon Wynd, Luke O'Shea, Simon Castles, Christine Geissler, Karen Mazlin, Angus McGilvray, Carmen Begbie and William Tooth as well as undisclosed Border Force officers. It has been both surprising and disturbing concerning lack of any action by ACLEI since 2012 considering the serious non-disclosure, corruption and cover-ups in Operation Collage/ Bergonia. What is the point of giving information to an organisation who then does not act on it? Minister Dutton stated on official response dated 2 May 2016 that "I understand that ACLEI continue to assess a number of matters raised by Mr Golding. Please be advised that your correspondence has also been forwarded to ACLEI for consideration". ACLEI stated last week to me that no material or correspondence has been forwarded by Minister Peter Dutton which equates to him lying on Ministerial letterhead and not taking a serious stance against corruption in Border Force. The worrying other point is , how does Minister Dutton know what or how many matters I have raised with ACLEI when ACLEI state they have not received anything from him? Minister Dutton is hiding Border Force Corruption whilst he Pontificates about spurious border protection issues. Until you do something then the stain of incessant corruption will grow and multiply which is in no way for the best interests for the Australian people. On the 8th July 2016, the 1st assistant secretary of Integrity Security and Assurance, Mr Stephen Hayward of Border Force replied to my further enquiry put to Minister Dutton by Senator Jacqui Lambie stating that Border Force can assist in no way and the non disclosure and corruption issues in Operation Collage/Bergonia are being investigated by ACLEI.

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Full Transcript

Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee / Australian Federal Police and Asutralian Border Force Corruption / ACLEI

Dear Honourable Member / Commonwealth Ombudsman

Information here shows crimes, perjury and non disclosure previously not provided and to add to prior correspondence to Parliament which can be viewed on simonxgolding.com It shows a body of evidence showing police non disclosure and deliberate attempts to obscure the investigation with accused left to "fossick" for proper discovery, leaving a fundamental departure of requirements for a fair trial. It is also information for Foreign Parliaments to show that Australia is a corrupt country where investment should be avoided. A review and investigation should be made on Australian law enforcement officers as many Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs officers work within your borders. This corruption is happening in countries such as USA, Indonesia, Timar, India China, PNG and Colombia. Some of this corruption is opportunistic whilst some is meticulously planned by law enforcement officers working with criminals for drug trade to Australia.

I thank the Parliamentary Joint Committee for their letter dated 7 February 2017 after I have raised and given proof of serious corruption within Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force. ACLEI have had 7 years now to act accordingly in regard to corruption in Operation Collage/ Bergonia. The Commonwealth Ombudsman has previously passed obligation onto ACLEI just as the Parliamentary Joint Committee has recently. I have mentioned in previous correspondence that everyone who should act on this is merely passing obligation to another which is why I have, and shall continue to lobby the Australian Parliament and now Foreign Parliaments. Parliament is obligated to act on this corruption when ACLEI and the Commonwealth Ombudsman are ignoring it.

ACLEI remains silent on the corruption of Australian Federal Police(AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) officers despite years of investigation which is completely unsatisfactory. The Australian Government has failed in its duty to act against systemic and incessant corruption of the AFP and ABF.

In Operation Collage/Bergonia and subsequent case 864/11. Australian Federal Police made no mention of the fact that up to 20 Customs officers were present at the Scarborough marina on the 12th October 2010 until the absolute last moment at my second trial. This was done to hide corrupt acts, much of which is covered in previous correspondence along with photos of AFP with blocks of cocaine under their shirts which can be found on simonxgolding.com This letter is compiled of mostly transcripts, showing police completely misconducted themselves and did not take any steps of the governance of their own Commissioners instructions that are required by them. It also shows clear perjury of AFP members. Operation Collage case officer AaronJames Burgess and Luke Read stated that they started work around 4am on the 12th October 2010 despite their copy pasted identical statements starting at midday. They make no mention of returning to the marina in their statements because they returned to the marina to steal evidence. Over a phone call to another AFP member en-route to the marina it was stated that "we are coming back to pick up the bags". On arrival to Morgans seafood restaurant car park just after midday, about 300 meters away and around the corner from the entrance of the Scarborough marina is where 3 other AFP officers were met by Burgess and Read. This was done away from the crime scene.

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Do you have access to information about corruption and non-disclosure in Operation Collage/Bergonia?

Border Force and Australian Federal Police Corruption. Operation Collage / Bergonia

Dear Minister,

Thank you for your reply dated 30 October 2016. Your answers are less than satisfactory as you attempt to again distance Border Force from the former ACBPS, but they are one and the same. A name change with the same staff does not make it different.

Evidence of Border Force corruption in Operation Collage/Bergonia and the subsequent covering of this corruption is not an “allegation” as stated by you and you are well aware of this. Border Force officers involved have done no gaol time,had no disciplinary action and others involved have even been promoted.

You confirming that information has been provided to ACLEI means absolutely nothing as you stated this untruth in your last letter dated 9 May 2016. ACLEI stated on 7 July 2016 that “ACLEI is not aware of any information having been received from the Minister (Dutton) in relation to Operation Collage/Bergonia”.

You also stated in your response that I should request information through FOI. I did this previously to your agency and your agency lied. It took around one year for Border Force to lie after many delays and then also lied about the delays incurred. This was information critical to me for a fair trial and evidence that should have been disclosed in 2010 according to Australian law. This is yet another time wasting delay tactic by you.

Minister Dutton ,it is your responsibility to cleanse Border Force of corruption instead of hiding it and promoting it. You obviously have no intention of clarity and transparency in the concerned matter of Operation Collage/Bergonia corruption which makes you no better than the corrupt Border Force officers you protect.

My obvious and only choice is to provide information to the Australian Parliament,foreign parliaments, foreign trade and others to wait for someone who actually has the best interests of this country and or dealing with this country to start asking the obvious questions that need asking regarding Border Force corruption in Operation Collage/Bergonia as well as the culture that makes this unacceptable.

Original Document

It Looked a Little Fishy

Courier Mail

AUSTRALIAN Federal Police won't divulge how and where they arrested three men on Tuesday during Queensland's biggest cocaine bust. But the taxi driver who unwittingly ferried two alleged drug runners from Scarborough Marina, and witnesses to the massive raid there to1d The Courier-Mail what they saw. The cab driver who feared revealing his identity due to possible retribution from those in the drug trade said he picked up two men aged in their 30's about 11:40am.

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Police Leaks 6th December 2014

Police Leaks Australia News Feed

The trial of a Sydney man charged with importing 400 kilograms of cocaine on a yacht in 2010 has been aborted ater Australian Federal Police denied on oath the existence of certain video footage - only for it to be found on their own website. The video fiasco was just one of a series of embarrassing revelations for the AFP..

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Gold Coaster Among Yacht Trio Jailed

Courier Mail, September 16, 2015

THREE men who “brazenly” smuggled cocaine with a street value of up to $240 million to Brisbane from South America have each been sentenced to 30 years behind bars. Shortly after 4pm, Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson sentenced Gold Coaster Simon Golding, 46, Terrance Elfar, 54, and Holger Sander, 49, saying they were motivated by pure greed.

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The Mouse Versus The Dragon

The Age, May 19, 2016

Law enforcement struggles against alleged customs drug network.

I first met ACLEI in my lawyers Brisbane office in 2012. I received a phone call from my lawyer to come up to his office and give him instructions on my matter. When I arrived he said “let’s go grab a coffee” meaning let’s get out of the office so we can talk without being listened to...

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Sea of Doubt

The Sydney Morning Herald, Decemeber 6, 2014

The trial of a Sydney man charged with importing 400 kilograms of cocaine on a yacht in 2010 has been aborted after Australian Federal Police denied on oath the existence of certain video footage - only for it to be found on their own website.

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