BALI NINE MUM I was beside MYSELF IN SHOCK

FAMILY REUNIONS ABOUND AS THE DRUG SMUGGLERS RETURN HOME

When news broke last week that Michael Czugaj would be returning home to Australia nearly two decades on from his imprisonment, his mother, Vicki, was beside herself in shock.

Czugaj, now 38, is one of the five remaining members of the infamous ‘Bali Nine’ drug smuggling gang. The group landed in Darwin, NT, on December 15 and were reportedly set up with temporary accommodation at the nearby Howard Springs quarantine facility. They will not face future imprisonment in Australia.

A source close to Vicki tells New Idea that Czugaj is due at the family’s home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast this week.

“A family Christmas with Michael was very unexpected,” the friend says. “They are all rallying around him ... they can all now finally relax.”

While Czugaj’s release was welcome, the family friend says its still been a roller-coaster of emotions.