Australian faces 20-year Bali jail term over crystal meth sale
DENPASAR, Indonesia: An Australian man faces up to 20 years in prison on the resort island of Bali and a fine of more than US$600,000 for allegedly attempting to sell crystal meth, police said Monday.
Indonesian police said the 49year-old suspect — named by his initials TAS and identified by Australian media as Troy Smith — was arrested on April 30 at his hotel on the popular tourist island.
He was allegedly found with 3.19 grams of crystal methamphetamine and his wife, a foreign national named as Tracy Ijusa in Australian media reports, was also held but found not to be involved.
Smith was charged with a “drug transaction”, which means offering to sell or become a broker of narcotics, Ponco Indriyo, Bali police deputy director of drugs investigation told a news conference.
The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of 10 billion rupiah (US$622,000).
Smith was also charged with drug possession, which carries a lower maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of 8 billion rupiah.
Authorities made him take a urine test which came back positive for meth, the police official said.
The suspect had received a package carrying the meth sent by a friend in Australia, Indriyo said.
A Bali police press statement said the package contained “one Colgate toothpaste tube containing 3.15 grams of alleged crystal meth”.