Lorenzo Lemalu shooting: Two charged in Samoa over death of Australian in Vietnam
Two men have been charged in Samoa for their alleged involvement in the murder of Australian underworld figure Lorenzo Lemalu in Vietnam. The arrests follow an investigation by Samoan authorities and the Australian Federal Police into the Coconut Cartel crime group.
Why it matters
The case highlights the international reach of organized crime and the cross-border cooperation required to prosecute such offenses.
shares Share article Two men have been charged in Samoa over the fatal shooting of Australian underworld figure Lorenzo Lemalu in Vietnam earlier this year.
Lemalu, a boss of the Coconut Cartel crime group, was shot dead outside a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City in May.
In footage of the shooting, a hooded hitman in a hat exits a restaurant circling behind Lemalu and his associates before unleashing several shots from a pistol. Nine
Australian Federal Police announced today that two men, a 31-year-old New Zealander, and a 33-year-old Samoan, had been arrested in Samoa and charged with conspiracy to murder.
Samoan authorities will allege the pair conspired with two other Samoan men previously arrested in Vietnam to carry out the shooting.
If found guilty, they could face life in prison.
The two men previously arrested in Vietnam, aged 22 and 26, were taken into custody on May 24.
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