Australian arrested for drugs

Australian arrested for drugs

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Bali Police have arrested an Australian man for the possession of
a small amount of hashish, making him the 10th Australian to be
arrested in Bali this year for a drug-related crime.

Provincial police spokesman Sr. Comr. AS Reniban said on
Monday narcotics officers discovered three grams of hashish
during a search on Sunday of the residence of John Julian Pyle,
43, in Ubud subdistrict, Gianyar, east of the provincial capital
Denpasar.

The drugs were found in a plastic bag, a bottle and a condom
box, Reniban said.

"We have been watching (the suspect) for quite some time.
After we obtained solid information, we moved on his house and
found the evidence," the officer said.

The arrest of Pyle, originally from Adelaide, comes less than
three weeks after Bali Police arrested nine Australians who were
allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 11 kilograms of heroin
from Bali to Australia.

An Australian woman, Schapelle Corby, 27, is now on trial for
allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into
Bali from Australia last year. Prosecutors are seeking a life
sentence for Corby in a case that has strained ties between
Australia and Indonesia.

Reniban said Pyle denied the hashish was his. Officers took
the suspect to the Gianyar Police station for questioning
following the search of his home.

The Australian businessman could be charged under Law No.
22/1997 on narcotics, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Bali Police have arrested 69 foreigners, 20 of them
Australians, for drug-related crimes over the last five years.

Since last month, the police in Bali have arrested 11
foreigners, 10 of them Australians, for drug offenses.

Reniban denied the police were specifically targeting
Australian nationals.

"We act in accordance with procedures and the law," Reniban
said.

He also refuted claims the police lacked the competence to
fight drug trafficking by foreigners on the island.

"You know Bali is accessible to anyone from overseas. In
addition to cheaper airfares, many foreigners have family here,"
he said.

The Denpasar District Court recently sentenced two South
Africans to life in prison for attempting to smuggle heroin into
the island.