# Tonga Jails Man 12 Years for Attempted Gang Chapter

> An Australian deportee was sentenced for attempting to establish a Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang chapter in Tonga, marking the first application of the nation's anti-terrorism law against organized crime.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-25T06:55:01.858130Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/tonga-jails-man-12-years-for-attempted-gang-chapter-b16da29d

Eneasi Taumoefolau, an Australian deportee identified as the 'president' of an attempted Comancheros outlaw motorcycle gang chapter in Tonga, was sentenced to 12 years in jail on October 22, 2026, for participating in an organised criminal group [7][8][9][10][11]. This case marks the first time Tonga's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime Act (CTCTOA) has been tested in court [6][11][13].

This conviction sets a legal precedent for addressing organised criminal activity in Tonga. It signals the nation's firm stance against foreign criminal syndicates, which pose a growing threat by using Pacific nations as transit hubs for illicit activities [11][13]. The case also brings attention to the challenges that arise from the deportation of individuals with criminal histories from countries like Australia and New Zealand to Pacific island nations [13].

## What the records show
Tonga's Supreme Court sentenced Eneasi Taumoefolau to 12 years for his role in trying to establish a Comancheros chapter [11][13]. Justice Elisapeti Langi presided over the sentencing, identifying Taumoefolau as the "president and leader" of the proposed chapter [11][13]. Justice Langi stated his actions amounted to "a structural assault on the fabric of Tongan society" [11][13]. Evidence presented in court included gang clothing, vests, badges, and rank insignia seized from a storage unit rented under his partner's name, along with telephone messages and conversations [6][11]. The maximum penalty for the offense is 25 years imprisonment [6][11]. This 12-year sentence will run concurrently with a life sentence Taumoefolau received in 2025 for importing over two kilograms of methamphetamine from the United States into Tonga [6][11][13]. In the same case, New Zealand deportee Tevita Shoji was found guilty, while Australian deportees Lolomana'ia Tilini and Sione Tafokitau were acquitted [6][12].

## The timeline
Born in Tonga, Taumoefolau moved to Australia at the age of eight and spent most of his life in Victoria [3][13]. He was deported from Australia to Tonga in October 2022 following a series of drug convictions [3][4][13]. Tongan police arrested him in August 2024 during an operation in Nuku'alofa, where they seized Comanchero T-shirts, patches, cars, and methamphetamine [6][16]. In 2025, Taumoefolau was convicted of drug importation and received a life sentence [6][11][13]. He was found guilty of the organised criminal group charge in the Supreme Court in late September or early October 2026, leading to his 12-year sentence on October 22, 2026 [7][8][9][10][11][13].

## What the subject has said publicly
In an interview earlier in 2026, Taumoefolau said his motivation for attempting to form a Comancheros branch was to "piss off the Australian government" due to his deportation [13][15]. He admitted, "It was just stupid. I was reckless and I was very ambitious in the way I thought, 'I'll do it because it'll really, really piss them off'" [15]. Taumoefolau maintains he did not successfully establish a Comancheros chapter, claiming he had plans but abandoned them [12][15]. He intends to appeal both his Comancheros conviction and his earlier drug conviction [12][13].

## What we could not confirm
The specific conviction date for Eneasi Taumoefolau's organised criminal group charge, only that it was late September or early October 2026 [13].
The charges and sentencing details for Tevita Shoji [6].

## Evidence cited
1. Tongan police arrest Comanchero gang leader (kanivatonga.co.nz) — https://kanivatonga.co.nz/2024/08/tongan-police-arrest-comanchero-gang-leader/
2. The growing impact of transnational crime in the Pacific: a case study from Tonga and New Zealand - Kaniva Tonga (kanivatonga.co.nz) — https://kanivatonga.co.nz/2026/02/the-growing-impact-of-transnational-crime-in-the-pacific-a-case-study-from-tonga-and-new-zealand/
3. Tonga: deportation and drugs (lowyinstitute.org) — https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/tonga-deportation-and-drugs
4. Tonga Comancheros latest transnational criminal activity in Pacific - 17 arrested - National Indigenous Times (nit.com.au) — https://www.nit.com.au/tonga-comancheros-latest-transnational-criminal-activity-in-pacific-17-arrested-266155/
5. Tonga uses anti-terror law for the first time to convict gang leader (pmn.co.nz) — https://www.pmn.co.nz/news/tonga-uses-anti-terror-law-for-the-first-time-to-convict-gang-leader/
6. Tonga applies anti-terror law for first time to convict Comancheros gang leader (youtube.com) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK1S38XQ2wY
7. Tonga's TikTok Comancheros 'president' handed 12-year jail sentence (cedarnews.net) — https://cedarnews.net/news/2026/10/22/tongas-tiktok-comancheros-president-handed-12-year-jail-sentence/
8. Tonga's TikTok Comancheros 'president' handed 12-year jail sentence (thedailybreakingnews.com) — https://thedailybreakingnews.com/news/2026/10/22/tongas-tiktok-comancheros-president-handed-12-year-jail-sentence/
9. Tonga's TikTok Comancheros 'president' handed 12-year jail sentence - Tomedia (tomedia.com.au) — https://tomedia.com.au/news/2026/10/23/tongas-tiktok-comancheros-president-handed-12-year-jail-sentence/
10. Tongan Man Deported From Australia Sentenced to 12 Years' Jail over Bid to Set up Comancheros Branch (ground.news) — https://ground.news/article/tongan-man-deported-from-australia-sentenced-to-12-years-jail-over-bid-to-set-up-comancheros-branch
11. Tonga court hands 12-year sentence to Comancheros leader under anti-terrorism act - Pravda.Ru (pravda.ru) — https://www.pravda.ru/news/world/2070381-tonga_comancheros_act/
12. Man convicted in Tonga of involvement with Comancheros group — ABC News Australia - UA.NEWS (ua.news) — https://ua.news/en/man-convicted-in-tonga-of-involvement-with-comancheros-group-abc-news-australia/
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