nsnews online desk/ An Australian could face the death penalty after he was caught trying to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into the Indonesian resort island of Bali, an official has said.
Isaac Emmanuel Roberts, 35, was arrested after arriving from Bangkok on 4 December, while allegedly carrying 19 grams of amphetamine and ecstasy pills.
“Officers searched him and found five packages weighing around 19.97 gram mes and 14 tablets, which lab tests indicated were crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy,” customs agent Husni Syaiful told journalists on Tuesday.
Roberts could face the death penalty under Indonesia’s anti-narcotics laws because he was allegedly caught trafficking more than 5g of drugs.
He was paraded before journalists with a Malaysian and an American – who are also facing drug charges in separate cases – wearing orange prison uniforms and balaclavas.
An accountant formerly based in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, Roberts’ business website has not been updated since 2015 when he faced the professional conduct tribunal of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
The tribunal decided on 15 November, 2015, that Roberts had failed to reply to correspondence, issuing him with a reprimand and fining him $3,100.
The 30-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on arrival at Bali’s airport on 8 November after 3.03 grammes of marijuana and 0.65 grammes of cocaine were found in his wallet.
The American man, identified as KSL, was arrested in connection with a package containing cannabis e-cigarette liquid seized by authorities at a Bali post office.
Several foreign and Indonesian nationals have been executed by firing squad in recent years for drug trafficking, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015, a case that sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish the penalty.
Bali officials said a lot of foreigners would attempt to smuggle drugs into the popular holiday destination with the new year approaching.
“There are many parties held in Bali during the year-end celebration,” Syaiful said.
Agence France Presse and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
