Australian faces 12 years in prison in Indonesia for alleged drug possession on Bali

Prosecutors at the District Court in Denpasar, Bali’s provincial capital, said he violated anti-narcotics laws that carry a penalty of up to 12 years in prison and a fine of 8 billion rupiah (US$491,000).

Authorities reduced the initial charge of drug trafficking, which carries a possible death penalty, to the less serious charge of drug use after a police drug assessment team determined he was a drug user.

The 49-year-old accountant confessed to using drugs since 2020 to stop drinking alcohol, and denied being a dealer, lead prosecutor Isa Ulinnuha said.

“He was not involved in illicit narcotics trafficking, but was a narcotics’ abuser in the moderate category,” Ulinnuha told the court. “Therefore, we also recommend that he undergo a psychological evaluation and inpatient medical rehabilitation for at least six months in a government rehabilitation facility.”

After the charges against Smith were read, the panel of three judges adjourned the trial until June 20.

Indonesia has very strict drug laws and convicted traffickers can be executed by a firing squad. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes, and about a third of them are foreigners.

Eighteen people convicted of drug-related offences have been executed under current President Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014.