logo
Aussie man's excuse as he's arrested for alleged cocaine possession in Bali

Aussie man's excuse as he's arrested for alleged cocaine possession in Bali

Perth Now15-06-2025
An Australian man has been arrested in Bali for alleged cocaine possession, police say.
Nelson Philip James, 33, from Lismore, NSW, was detained by Indonesian police on Thursday after he was allegedly found with cocaine during a traffic stop at Badung.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Aussie man arrested for alleged cocaine possession in Bali.
The man and his female passenger were reportedly pulled over for not wearing helmets while riding a motorbike.
Badung police chief Arif Batubara told reporters that James was 'acting nervous and initially refused to show documents'.
'During a traffic inspection on June 11, police were observing a traffic violation at the Pererenan area, Tanah Lot,' Batubara said.
'He was acting nervous and initially refused to show the documents. When asked again for his paperwork, he took out his hand and a plastic clip fell out of his pocket, but one plastic was still on his hand.
Video from the arrest has surfaced online, appearing to show James offering an excuse for the suspicious parcel.
'Try it, it's Panadol. Panadol brother,' James shouts in the video. 'Test it, it's Panadol.'
Police claim James later confessed the white powder was cocaine.
'According to (James), he bought the drugs in Ungasan on June 9. Details of the purchase are still being investigated,' Batubara said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that an Australian had been detained in Bali.
'We are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance, to any Australian citizen, should they request it,' a DFAT spokesperson said.
- With AAP
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How ACA nearly derailed Netflix star's trial
How ACA nearly derailed Netflix star's trial

Perth Now

timean hour ago

  • Perth Now

How ACA nearly derailed Netflix star's trial

A Territory judge has savaged a national television program for airing 'unfair' coverage on the eve of the trial of reality star Outback Wrangler Matt Wright. The Aussie reality television star has pleaded not guilty to three allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice, following the chopper crash death of his mate and co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson three years ago. It took two hours for a jury pool of 107 Territorians to be whittled down into the final team of 12 jurors and two reservists on Tuesday. However overnight that careful selection process was put in jeopardy following the episode by A Current Affair. The segment was broadcast on A Current Affair. Credit: Supplied On Wednesday Justice Alan Blow ripped into the Channel Nine segment which he said threatened to 'abort' the high-profile celebrity trial. 'It was a piece of journalism that was aimed to suggest that Mr Wright is guilty of something — and that's not what TV journalists should be doing,' Justice Blow said. 'It's very important that Mr Wright gets a fair trial and watching that program could interfere with his right to a fair trial.' Justice Blow told the 12-person jury and two reservists that the program published a 'stale' witness list and a photo from the fatal helicopter crash site. 'This isn't a case about why the helicopter crashed,' he told the jury. 'It's not suggested that Mr Wright was responsible, in any way, for the crashing of the helicopter. 'If you watched the program, you might get the impression that he was responsible, and that he was guilty of something and that he's headed to jail for it. 'It was quite unfair and it created a danger of this trial having to be aborted.' Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia Wright approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin. NewsWire/Pema Tamang Pakhrin Credit: News Corp Australia Only one juror out of the 14 members said he had watched the segment. Under questioning from Justice Blow, the juror said he would be able to remain impartial, and had not discussed the ACA show with any of his fellow jurors. Justice Blow then warned the remaining 13 Territorians to not try and access the program played on Tuesday night. 'It's an excellent example of what I told you not to do yesterday,' he said. 'Please don't try to find out about that program.' Both prosecutor Jason Gullaci and Defence senior counsel David Edwardson said they were comfortable with the current jury continuing. The trial continues.

Man who has lived in the US for 40 years faces deportation to Australia despite having no ties to the country
Man who has lived in the US for 40 years faces deportation to Australia despite having no ties to the country

Sky News AU

time2 hours ago

  • Sky News AU

Man who has lived in the US for 40 years faces deportation to Australia despite having no ties to the country

A man who has lived in the United States for four decades has been detained by immigration officers and told he could be forcibly removed not to his native Iran, but to either Australia or Romania - countries with which he has no known ties. Reza Zavvar was arrested just metres from his home in Maryland five weeks ago by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he is now being held in a privately operated detention centre in Ohio, facing an uncertain future far from his family. The Iranian-born man moved to the US in 1985 at the age of 12, but despite living, working, and building a life in America for over 40 years, he never obtained US citizenship. He was the only member of his family not to do so. Zavvar previously held a green card, but lost it in 2004 after two minor marijuana-related offences which dated back to the 1990s. Despite this, he was granted a non-expulsion order preventing his removal to Iran, allowing him to remain legally in the US. Fresh court documents reveal the Department of Homeland Security is attempting to deport him to either Romania or Australia. Why those countries were selected remains unclear as Zavvar is not a citizen of either, nor has he ever lived in the two countries. 'Being in a grey area with lots of question marks, it's torture,' his mother, Firouzeh Firouzabadi, told 9News. She said he was taken into custody while walking his dog and that she hasn't seen him since. The Australian government has expressed concern and confusion over the decision, saying it had not been consulted. 'We consider any application for a visa in its merits, we have not been contacted by the US government about this matter,' a spokesperson said. Immigration lawyer Ava Beach added, 'Australia doesn't seek to be a place where America deports people to who aren't Americans. How they picked those countries is a mystery to me.' Zavvar's case has raised questions about a controversial deportation tactic reportedly expanded under President Donald Trump's administration, one that allows ICE to target long-term residents with old or minor convictions and send them to third countries with little or no personal connection. 'This is not something we've seen involving Australia before,' said Mahsa Khanbabai, a board director with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who spoke to ABC News. 'Normally, what we've been seeing is that the Trump administration is targeting countries where they feel they have some leverage, that they feel they can push around and bully. Australia is not a country that we would normally consider to be in such a position.' ICE has defended the move, calling Zavvar a 'criminal illegal alien' and pointing to his past conviction for attempted possession of a controlled substance as justification for deportation. 'ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien,' said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. The US government insists it is following through on promises to tighten immigration enforcement with around 40 per cent of those currently in ICE custody having a criminal record, according to recent DHS figures. Meanwhile, Zavvar's family and supporters are rallying to fight the deportation, launching a petition and fundraising campaign to cover legal costs. 'After 40 years of living in the US, Reza knows no other home,' his sister Maryam wrote online. 'He waits in a privately run detention centre, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future.'

Police confusing victim with abuser, family workers say
Police confusing victim with abuser, family workers say

Perth Now

time5 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Police confusing victim with abuser, family workers say

Family violence workers hold major concerns about police misidentifying victims as perpetrators, minimising or downplaying violence and discriminating against marginalised groups. That's according to a survey of 225 frontline family violence experts including support workers and lawyers, published by advocacy group and charity Flat Out Inc. The report into Victoria Police released on Thursday found officers' responses to family violence can bring harm or replicate power and control dynamics that underpin abuse. Some 90 per cent of those surveyed said they had witnessed police discrimination or bias and 83 per cent said they had witnessed police misidentifying the victim-survivor as the perpetrator. They also reported cases of police minimising violence, colluding with perpetrators, avoiding accountability and "institutionally protecting" officers who committed abuse. Researchers noted many professionals reported police "targeting and discriminating" against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrant communities, LGBTQI people, people living with disability and other groups. "The testimony from family violence workers is a significant indictment of Victoria Police and their role in family violence response across this state," RMIT criminologist and report co-author Peta Malins said. Family violence sector workers are in a unique position to observe police practices by seeing them firsthand and through the experience of people they support, she said, adding the harms "are not standalone mistakes or failures". Family violence experts completed the survey in 2020/21 and the results were released by Flat Out Inc, an advocacy and support service for women, trans and gender-diverse people with experience of the justice system. The authors called for a move away from policing and towards investment in community-led family violence responses. A Victoria Police spokesperson said the force was not involved in the research and noted it was conducted in 2020/21. They said police work closely with sector-wide partners and regularly engage with support groups and professionals to strengthen their response to family violence. "The safety of victims is at the forefront of everything we do," they said. All police receive extensive family violence training including how to identify predominant aggressors, and more than 90 per cent of officers had completed Aboriginal cultural awareness training, the spokesperson added. "We know it's especially difficult for victim-survivors to come forward when their perpetrator is a police officer," they said. "That's why we created a team specifically tasked with tackling this issue, skilled in supporting victims and understanding the tactics police perpetrators use." About one in four Australian women has experienced family violence involving an intimate partner, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store