Australians caught in drug raids
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Medan
A model and a teacher, both Australians, were apprehended in the latest in a string of arrests of foreigners during the police crackdown on illegal drugs in Bali and Medan.
Australian model Michelle Leslie, allegedly caught with the party drug Ecstasy in a Bali nightclub, has been jailed and faces at least a decade behind bars if convicted, police said on Monday.
The 24-year-old Adelaide native was allegedly caught carrying two Ecstasy tablets after police raided a dance party at GW Cultural Park, early Saturday morning, police said.
"She was found carrying Ecstasy, and so we detained her," Insp. Bambang Sugiharto of the Bali Police's narcotics division was quoted as saying by AP.
Under the drug laws, a person found guilty of narcotics possession faces up to 10 years' imprisonment. But Leslie is likely to get only a few months behind bars if convicted because she was caught with such a small amount.
A preliminary urine test on Leslie failed to detect any drugs, said Mardius Kusin, a police official.
Leslie is being detained at police headquarters, where the Bali Nine -- a group of Australians picked up for attempting to smuggle heroin -- were held earlier this year.
In the North Sumatra town of Medan, a 21-year-old Australian teacher, Graham Clifford Payne, was apprehended by the police for the possession of crystal methamphetamine and hundreds of tablets of other illegal drugs.
Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Irawan Dahlan said on Monday that the Australian was apprehended on Saturday night on a street and is now being detained at Medan Police Headquarters.
He said the police had found 0.1 gram of crystal methamphetamine on the man and another 2,162 tablets of illegal drugs and five syringes when the police searched his house.
"The arrest has been planned since information on the suspect's drug use was obtained from the public. We are continuing to work on the case as we suspect he is a drug dealer in Medan," Irawan said.
He said the Medan Police were working together with the North Sumatra Police and National Police Headquarters to check his citizenship status.
Irawan said the suspect has been in Medan for two months as an English teacher.
According to head of the Medan Police narcotics division Comr. Irwan Anwar, a drug test on Payne's urino had produce a positive result.
"As things stand, he could face up to five years' imprisonment as a drug user. But if our investigation shows that he's also a drug dealer, he might get a heavier punishment," Irwan said.
Through the police's crackdown on illegal drugs by employing surprise raids and on-the-spot drug tests, authorities have netted scores of celebrities and foreign tourists.
Last week, a Bali court sentenced Australian businessman John Pyle to five months in jail for possessing a small amount of hashish.
Schapelle Corby was sentenced to 20 years in prison in May this year for smuggling 4.2 kilograms of marijuana to Bali.
The Bali Nine -- eight Australian men and one woman, aged between 19 and 27 -- were arrested in April for allegedly trying to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin out of the country. Their trial is expected to start next month.