Australian man arrested in Bali says he had no idea drug parcels contained cocaine
Lamar Ahchee, 43, originally from Cairns and the son of former Queensland senior constable Les Ahchee, was arrested last Thursday after allegedly collecting two drug-filled parcels sent from the UK.
Authorities allege 1.8kg of cocaine was concealed inside two Gold Lindt chocolate boxes, with each box containing 54 individually wrapped packets of the drug that weighed 8.3g per packet.
Mr Ahchee allegedly tested positive for drugs while in custody.
His lawyer, Edward Pangkahila, said his client denied any involvement in drug trafficking.
'He's telling me that honestly, he doesn't know what was inside. We're still looking for that somebody who tell him to take this package,' Mr Pangkahila said.
'The police have to find this guy.'
Mr Pangkahila said his client was 'very upset and stressed' by the ordeal.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that consular support was being provided to an Australian man detained in Bali but declined to provide further information due to privacy obligations.
Bali police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya said the parcels arrived in Indonesia on May 12 and were flagged as suspicious after being scanned at Ngurah Rai Airport.
A controlled delivery was then conducted by customs and the Bali Regional Police Narcotics Directorate.
One parcel was allegedly sent from Runwell, east of London, addressed to 'Alex and Julie' in Kuta Utara, near Canggu. The other reportedly came from Braintree and was addressed to 'Dave Jones' in the same area.
On May 22, police allege Mr Ahchee arranged for a driver to pick up the parcels. After meeting the driver at a restaurant, he allegedly took the packages back to a location in Canggu, where he was arrested by the Bali drug squad. Authorities say he resisted arrest and sustained injuries during the encounter.
Police allege Mr Ahchee was in possession of 1.8kg of cocaine, an amount that carries the death penalty under Indonesian law, and he was offered nearly 50 million rupiah (about $A4700) to receive and distribute the drugs. He has since been charged with three drug offences, including importing narcotics.
Mr Ahchee has been living in Bali since 2017. He previously worked in hospitality and resigned as general manager of Canggu restaurant Brick Lane Bali in November last year after eight months in the role.
His LinkedIn profile states he co-founded and directed tech companies in Jakarta and Bali from 2019 and previously worked in marketing in Sydney.
His arrest comes just five months after the final members of the infamous Bali Nine returned to Australia, almost two decades after they were caught attempting to smuggle heroin from the holiday island in 2005.
Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in 2015. Another member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died in custody in 2018.
Renae Lawrence, who was the only member to avoid a life sentence or the death penalty, was released in 2018.
The group had attempted to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin strapped to their bodies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
2 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Police seize 80kg of cocaine at Port Botany found in shipping container
Police have seized an 80kg shipment of cocaine worth about $26m from a shipping container at Port Botany. Australian Border Force officers found the illicit drugs during an examination of a container which arrived from the US last Monday. A police spokesman said X-rays of the container identified anomalies in it. 'A forensic examination revealed two bags containing multiple packages of a substance that tested positive for cocaine, each wrapped in blue cling film with a '464' label,' a spokesman said. Camera Icon Police seize 80kg of cocaine labelled 464 at Port Botany. Supplied Credit: Supplied Police seized the drugs and are now trying to identify the criminal syndicate responsible for the shipment worth millions of dollars. Australian Federal Police acting superintendent Stuart Millen said criminals who conspired to smuggle harmful drugs into Australia did not care about the pain and misery they inflicted on communities. 'The AFP and our partners are committed to targeting individuals who seek to profit from the illicit drug trade, and identifying criminal groups responsible for the large-scale importation of these harmful substances,' he said. Camera Icon Authorities believe the cargo could have been tampered with by criminal insiders as it moved from its country of origin to the destination. Supplied Credit: Supplied ABF superintendent Jared Leighton said this detection was an example of the varying ways criminal syndicates embed themselves in the international supply chain. He said the illicit drugs found within this container were not concealed, which could be indicative of a 'rip-on/rip-off' method. 'As cargo moves from the country of origin to the country of destination, criminal insiders could tamper with legal shipments,' he said. 'The ABF works closely with our industry partners and international logistics companies to disrupt the infiltration of the supply chain both on and offshore. Camera Icon Police seize 80kg of cocaine labelled 464 at Port Botany. Supplied Credit: Supplied 'Combating the threat of organised crime is one which we all must tackle together. 'The ABF works with state and federal law enforcement to identify and target those who seek to exploit our border controls. 'The Australian border is one of our most critical national assets. The ABF will continue to make the border a hostile environment for criminals.' Anyone with information about the importation is urged to contact police.
Perth Now
32 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Terrorism': Neo-Nazi's odd offer to cops
A prominent Australian neo-Nazi claimed that police were seeking to arrest him over a violent confrontation at a rally as he faced court on allegations he sought to intimidate an officer and his wife. Thomas Sewell, 32, disputes the allegations, telling reporters outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday that it was instead him and his organisation experiencing intimidation and 'terrorism' from police. 'All of these charges come from the fact that we are advocating for white Australians; the government is against us doing that,' he said. It's understood the police investigation relates to an alleged assault on a man in Melbourne's Bourke St Mall in the early hours of Saturday, August 7. Thomas Sewell is facing allegations he sought to intimidate a police officer and his wife. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia About 100 black-clad men held signs and flags, including the Australian flag, the National Socialist Network flag and a sign reading 'White Man Fight Back', as they marched down the shopping mall in the city's CBD. Video from the scene captured a man, believed to be Mr Sewell, brawling with a member of the public. The march was condemned by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen, who called the group 'goons' and vowed to introduce powers for police to unmask protesters. 'Nazis don't belong in this country and they know it. That's why they hide behind masks in the dark,' she said. Police were called after about 100 members of the National Socialist Network marched through Melbourne's CBD in the early hours of Saturday morning. Outside court, the National Socialist Network (NSN) figurehead showed media several stitches to a cut above his left ear. 'I do have some injuries from an assault on my person about a week ago. We did a large demonstration; we marched down Bourke St Mall about midnight … and I was attacked by a deluded, deranged person,' he said. 'The police have refused to charge the man with assault and instead have threatened to arrest me today.' Mr Sewell was supported in court. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Sewell said he'd offered police to arrest him outside of court but wouldn't attend the Melbourne West police station because he believed it would breach his bail conditions. Victoria Police has been contacted for comment. Mr Sewell was supported by six associates, clad in matching Helly Hansen jackets bearing the NSN's emblem and the Australian flag, including Jacob Hersant, Joel Davis and Nathan Bull. He led the march through Melbourne's CBD. X Credit: Supplied His comments came as a three-day hearing on allegations he sought to intimidate a police officer and their spouse was delayed following an application from the prosecution. Prosecutors allege Mr Sewell intimidated the officer and his partner on both October 21 and November 7 last year. He is also charged with alleged breaches of personal safety intervention orders protecting the couple on November 7 and failing to comply with a direction to provide police with access to an electronic device. The November 7 charges relate to Mr Sewell mentioning on a podcast hosted by Mr Davis and Blair Cottrell that a police officer allegedly attempted to remove a NSN member's face covering during a protest. Thomas Sewell appears on a podcast hosted by Joel Davis and Blair Cottrell. Supplied/ Rumble. Credit: News Corp Australia United Australian Party leader Ralph Babet watched the court hearing via videolink. The hearing was pushed back to September 1 by magistrate Michelle Hodgson after prosecutor Louis Andrews flagged the police officer's wife had expressed reluctance to give evidence. 'The prosecution has to consider whether or not to make an application for that witness to be treated as unavailable,' Mr Andrews said. Mr Sewell asked the court to 'note on the record' that police were seeking to arrest him over the CBD incident. He will return to court on September 1. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia Outside court, he vowed to fight the charges, labelling them 'false' and 'political persecution'. 'We have the right as Australian citizens to mention what police do and don't do in terms of their attacks on us and that is the beginning of this incident,' he said. 'Explaining the police's actions to the public and they've kicked my door in, arrested me and intimidated my family'.Mr Sewell will return to court for a hearing on the allegations next month.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
‘Wrong kind of sorry': Qantas hit with $90m penalty for illegally sacking 1800 ground staff
Qantas has been hit with a landmark $90 million fine for illegally sacking more than 1800 ground workers five years ago, after a Federal Court judge expressed the airline had shown the 'wrong kind of sorry'. Justice Michael Lee ordered Qantas to pay $50m to the Transport Workers Union — which brought the case — saying it 'would facilitate and promote' unions to take on similar cases where the Fair Work Ombudsman fails to act. In a statement, Qantas said the company accepted the penalty and judgement which held it 'accountable for our actions that caused real harm to our employees'. It concludes a saga that began in 2020, when Qantas outsourced baggage handlers, cleaners and other ground staff, axing more than 1800 staff, as COVID-19 took a toll on aviation. Qantas' appeal to the High Court was unsuccessful, paving the way for the penalty to be awarded. 'Although the outsourcing decision was a single act, it was a carefully planned act directed at, and affecting, a very large number of employees,' Justice Lee said. He accepted that Qantas was sorry for the illegal outsourcing, but wasn't convinced the measure of regret was 'significant' and described it as 'the wrong kind of sorry'. The fact former Qantas boss Alan Joyce's name was kept out of direct involvement in the outsourcing decision also left Justice Lee 'with a sense of disquiet and uncertainty as to precisely what went on within the upper echelons of Qantas leading up to the outsourcing decision'. The union sought the maximum penalty of $121m, while Qantas urged Justice Lee to impose a 'mid-range' fine of between $40m and $80m. At $90m, the penalty represents 75 per cent of the maximum and is the biggest employer penalty in Australian corporate history. The remaining $40m is yet to be allocated, but could go back to the 1820 workers who lost their jobs. Qantas late last year reluctantly agreed to pay $120m in compensation to the sacked workers, taking the overall bill for its wrongdoings to $210m. 'It will send a message to Qantas and other well-resourced employers that not only will they face potentially significant penalties for breaches of the (Fair Work act), but those penalties will be provided to trade unions to resource those unions in their role as enforcers of the (FWA),' Justice Lee said on Monday. He also criticised Qantas chief Vanessa Hudson for failing to appear before the court. Justice Lee noted Qantas chief people officer Catherine Walsh during the hearings apologised for the company's behaviour, but 'it seemed to me obvious that the person who could give the most direct and compelling evidence of corporate change and contrition' was Ms Hudson. 'Going back to the issue as to whether Qantas is truly contrite, I have hesitation in reaching a conclusion,' he said. Ms Hudson on Monday apologised for the 'genuine hardship' it caused its former team and their families. 'Over the past 18 months we've worked hard to change the way we operate as part of our efforts to rebuild trust with our people and our customers. This remains our highest priority as we work to earn back the trust we lost,' she said. The national carrier is working to regain the public's trust after a raft of scandals left the airline's reputation in tatters. These included a botched COVID-19 credits program and and a post-pandemic restart of domestic and international services marred by poor customer service, lost luggage, flight delays and cancellations. Maurice Blackburn principal Josh Bornstein, who represented the TWU in the case, said the record penalty meant corporate Australia was on notice that courts would not tolerate blatant attacks on workers' rights.
