According to media, he was detained on February 4, 2003 with nine others in a raid by a joint Argentine- Australian team codenamed 'Operation Kangaroo' whereby twelve kilos of cocaine intended for sale in Australia was seized.

Stephen John Sutton has no prior criminal record, and according to his family, has never been in trouble with the law before now. He was sentenced by the court in 2005, to serve an 11 year sentence for drug related offences.

Currently Stephen is required to pay a fine of AUD $3500 before he can depart Argentina next year 2008. If you would like to contribute any support to this, given that Stephen has no way of paying the compensation himself, the please contact us.

Thank you to those members who continue to write to Stephen and offer encouragement!

Recently FPSS wrote to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT] offering support to Stephen Sutton. With consideration to the Privacy Act, we respectfully asked DFAT to notify Stephen of our continued willingness to assist him where possible. We offered support in relation to both the compensation that is to be paid; and offered to assist Stephen in accessing our network of professional pyscologists and counsellors should he require their services upon repatriation.

DFAT's response was both immediate and encouraging. The initial point of contact in DFAT responded to our request within 30 minutes. It was then forwarded to the appropriate department Manager who generated a positive response within two hours. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to DFAT for their consideration.

We are also pleased that another FPSS member has recently agreed to correspond with Stephen. We hope that this support will assist leading up to Stephen's eventual repatriation to Australia.

Previously Stephen's sentence was 11 years but we are now aware that his release date has been moved forward to June 2008. In accordance with the judgement of the Court, he will be required to pay compensation in the amount of 7.000 Argentinian Pesos (about AUD$3,500 ).

If you would like to assist Stephen please contact us here.

Stephen is reportedly well and continuing to receive ongoing medical care. His health is much better now and he wishes to extend his heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent him letters of support. Stephen has had no recent visitors but would appreciate a visit if anyone is passing through Argentina. It was confirmed on 27 June 2006, that Stephen's appeal against his conviction was unsuccessful. The appeal Court upheld the Judge's decision that found Stephen guilty for being "a member of an illegal international syndicate with the intention of trafficking narcotics for commercial purposes". Stephen has now exhausted all available legal avenues. The Australian Embassy continue to provide consular support to Stephen and are monitoring his ongoing health and welfare issues.

FPSS have learned that Stephen's sister [Ann Cluse] is about to undergo an operation in hospital. We wish Ann a speedy recovery and hope that she is back on her feet and in good health again quickly.

Send to:
STEPHEN SUTTON
Modulo 2 Pabellon 3
Complejo Penitenciario Fedral 11
Acceso Zavala Circumvalacion Tercera
Parcela 191 Marcos Paz
(1727) Pcia de Buenos Aires
Argentina

All Care packages should be addressed to Stephen Sutton and sent to the PRISON and NOT via the Australian Consulate. As a general rule, Foreign Offices like AUS DFAT, UK FCO, US ACS ... are not responsible for delivering care packages to prisoners, particularly when prisons facilitate this type of service. There are rules that everyone, including the Embassy must follow.

Marcoz Paz prison facilitates a fairly reliable postal service for prisoners, inclusive care package delivery. Authorities have established this service in accordance with strict national security guidelines and expect those utilizing this valuable service to do so appropriately. Care Packages arrive at the prison and undergo screening for security reasons. Prison authorities notify the prisoner that a package has arrived and the prisoner is called to attend the opening of their package. This is a serious process and designed to protect both prison staff and prisoners. If items are inappropriate then the prison authority will take the necessary action to protect the integrity of the penitentiary. Items may be returned to sender. The prisoner will be advised to notify the sender in due course, as appropriate. To be sure that your care package is accepted, please check with the prisoner first on what you can and cannot send, PRIOR to sending. All approved items must be sealed and tamper proof. No item should be sent that could be used to harm another person.

Argentinean Postal Service
The main postal service company of Argentina is the Correo Central, however; there are other private postal services that function similarly and have various branches throughout the country. A couple of them are Oca and Servicor. A letter can take anywhere from 6 to 15 days to arrive from most countries to Buenos Aires and then from there, redirected to the destination. Sealing postcards in an envelope is recommended so that they arrive faster. One can also send mail using the express service which takes up to 5 days to arrive to any international destination. As with all postal services, the Argentinean Postal Service, does not give any guarantee that your care package or letters will be delivered to Marcos Paz Prison.

Salvation Army Deliveries

The Salvation Army visits prisoners on a scheduled basis throughout Argentina and may be contacted for further advice.

The Salvation Army
Maza 2258
1240 Buenos Aires, Argentina
tel: (11) 4912 0840/41/42
fax: (11) 4912 2808
International headquarters:

Sending letters and care packages via the Family

Stephen Sutton's sister will accept care packages and letters.

Address details are:

Mrs Ann Cluse
20 Leslie McIntyre Ave
Salisbury Downs,
South Australia 5108 Australia
Email: clusie@chariot.net.au