An Australian man has allegedly been caught in Bali with enough drugs to qualify for the death penalty or decades in prison.
The 43-year-old was arrested in an apartment in the Canggu area of the popular holiday island on Thursday.
Bali police allege the package, which arrived from Thailand, contained 1.5 kilograms of cocaine.
An Australian man, being paraded here for the press on Monday, has allegedly been caught with 1.5 kilograms of cocaine in Bali.Credit: Amilia Rosa
A conviction for an offence involving more than five grams of a category one drug like cocaine is enough to open up the possibility of a death sentence under Indonesian law, but lesser sentences are also available.
Bali police are expected to speak to the media on Monday afternoon (AEST).
If the person were convicted, it would create a diplomatic headache for the Australian government – which opposes the death penalty – reminiscent of the Bali Nine case.
The five remaining members of the Bali Nine were released in December.Credit: Fairfax Media
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the so-called ringleaders of the Bali Nine, were executed by firing squad in 2015, 10 years after the group was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin out of Indonesia.
The five members who remained in Indonesian prisons were returned to Australia in December as new President Prabowo Subianto sought to begin his relationship with Australia on a positive footing.
