An Australian man has been arrested in Bali after allegedly being caught with drugs at the international airport, according to media reports.
Isaac Emmanuel Roberts, 35, was arrested after arriving from Bangkok while allegedly carrying 19 grams of amphetamine and ecstasy pills.
Roberts, who faced media on Tuesday with two other men from Malaysia and the United States, was arrested on December 4, according to local authorities.
The 35-year-old was arrested on December 4 after allegedly being caught with drugs at the airport, and could face the death penalty. Source: AAP
The accused, believed to be from Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, was pictured wearing a black balaclava and an orange prison uniform when he was paraded by police during a media conference.
"Officers searched him and found five packages weighing around 19.97 grams and 14 tablets, which lab tests indicated were crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy," customs agent Husni Syaiful told a press conference Tuesday.
He could face the death penalty under Indonesia's harsh anti-narcotics laws because he was allegedly caught trafficking more than five grams of drugs.
News Corp Australia reports Roberts was angry at being paraded in front of the media and suggested he'd been set up by authorities.
"I was invited to this country. I was working with a Customs officer and they knew I was going to bring something," he reportedly said.
The 30-year-old Malaysian man (mentioned above) was arrested on arrival at Bali's airport on November 8 after 3.03 grams of marijuana and 0.65 grams of cocaine were found in his wallet.
The American man (also mentioned above), identified as KSL, was arrested in connection with a package containing cannabis e-cigarette liquid seized by authorities at a Bali post office.
An Australian man is escorted by custom officers in Bali, Indonesia, 19 December 2017. Source: AAP
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, with sentences including the death penalty for smugglers who carry five or more grams.
Several foreign and Indonesian nationals have been executed by firing squad in recent years for drug trafficking, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015, a case that sparked diplomatic outrage and a call to abolish the penalty.
Bali officials said a lot of foreigners would attempt to smuggle drugs into the popular holiday destination with the new year approaching.
"There are many parties held in Bali during the year-end celebration," Syaiful said.
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