Overview

• On May 22, police arrested 43-year-old Lamar Ahchee in Canggu after a controlled delivery of two UK-origin parcels containing 1.7 kg of cocaine hidden in chocolate wrappers.
• He was paraded before media in shackles on May 26 and is now held at the Bali Police Detention Centre as investigators prepare an indictment expected within four months.
• Under Indonesia’s narcotics laws, trafficking class-1 drugs carries up to 20 years in prison or execution, though no executions have occurred since 2016.
• Defense lawyer Edward Pangkahila says Ahchee was emotionally distressed after the arrest and maintained he acted as a favour without knowledge of the narcotics.
• Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance while Indonesian authorities work with Interpol to trace the wider smuggling network.