
Second Aussie man accused of smuggling drugs into Bali is identified - as new details emerge
An Australian man accused of smuggling drugs into Bali and potentially faces life behind bars has been identified.
Queensland man Puridas Robinson, 40, was arrested at a villa in West Denpasar last Thursday following an alleged tip-off from a co-accused accomplice.
Authorities arrested Indian national Harsh Nowlahka, 31, earlier in the day after he was allegedly found in possession of 600g of marijuana at Denpasar International Airport.
Bali National Narcotic Agency conducted further inquiries and has alleged that it was Robinson who ordered the narcotics.
Nowlahka allegedly told authorities he was supposed to deliver the drugs to Robinson's home, sources told Daily Telegraph.
Authorities followed Nowlahka to Robinson's villa, where officers allegedly uncovered a 104g stash of marijuana during a search of the property.
Robinson hasn't yet formally charged and has denied the allegations against him. He remains in custody.
He and Nowlakha were among five foreigners arrested as part of last week's investigation.
BNN spokesperson Made Dwi Saputra was tight-tipped regarding the allegations against Robinson, who is accused of drug trafficking and drug possession.
Mr Saputra told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday night that more details would be revealed on Thursday.
'We will hold (a) press conference of some cases, including the Australian, tomorrow morning at 10am,' he said.
Robinson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is found guilty of drug trafficking.
A drug possession conviction attracts a jail term of up to 12 years.
In Indonesia, marijuana is a Class 1 narcotic along with heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA.
Robinson's arrest came days after a fellow Queenslander was arrested for alleged cocaine trafficking.
Lamar Ahchee, 43, was arrested in Canggu, a coastal village on the south-west coast of Bali, on May 22 accused of trafficking 1.8kg of cocaine worth $1.1m onto the tourist sland.
Police allege the Cairns man, who is the son of former Queensland senior constable Les Ahchee, collected two parcels of cocaine concealed in chocolate boxes, each containing 54 individual packets of the drug.
Ahchee has denied being a drug dealer and claimed that he was 'framed'.
Ahchee, a confessed drug addict, allegedly tested positive for drugs while in custody.
His lawyer Edward Pangkahila said Ahchee denied any involvement in drug trafficking.
'He's telling me that honestly, he doesn't know what was inside,'Mr Pangkahila said.
'We're still looking for that somebody who tell him to take this package.
'The police have to find this guy.'
Ahchee (pictured on Monday) is accused of trying to smuggle cocaine onto the island
Ahchee has not been charged but remained in custody since his arrest.
He faces the death penalty if convicted.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Family and friends of three Brits locked up in Bali jail over '£300,000 Angel Delight cocaine smuggling plot' say they are in 'deep shock' as they face death penalty
The family and friends of three Britons locked up in Bali over an alleged cocaine smuggling plot have spoken of their 'deep shock' and 'fear' for their safety. Jon Collyer, 38, and Lisa Stocker, 39, were arrested at Bali's international airport in February after being caught with almost £300,000 worth of cocaine stashed inside sachets of Angel Delight powdered dessert mix, according to Balinese authorities. The pair appeared in court in Bali this week alongside Phineas Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the packages and was arrested a few days later. All three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, could face the death penalty. Convicted drug traffickers, especially those caught with large quantities, have in the past been executed by firing squad in Indonesia - including foreign nationals. If the quantity is large but not enough for the death penalty, life in prison is a common sentence. Today the families and friends of the three Britons wept as they spoke of their 'horror' at learning of the arrests and the penalty their loved ones could face. Jon's father Julian Collyer said: 'I'm in deep shock, to be honest. I'm very, very worried as any father or parent would be. I'm concerned about the court case and just very worried.' The retired graphic designer, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said he had spoken to his son from prison in Bali but it was the first time in three weeks they had spoken. 'I don't want to talk about anything at the moment because I don't want to jeopardise the court hearing. Anything I say could be misconstrued so I just want to stay quiet for the time being.' A family member of Lisa Stocker, who would not be identified, wept as she told of her fear for her relative. She said: 'She's just a mum. Her kids are going to be desperate without her. It doesn't bear thinking about. I'm so shocked and I can't sleep at night for thinking what might happen to her.' Sobbing, she continued: 'There are some seriously evil people in this world who take advantage of people less fortunate and I think that's what has happened here. I'm in bits. I can't say any more.' Jon's friend Dean, 39, said: 'I'm still in total shock. I didn't even know he and Lisa had gone to Bali. It's an absolute mess and I'm really worried about them both. 'Lisa has got kids, three I think, and what are they going to do if their mum is banged up. I was horrified when I heard about it. It's a nightmare. I can't believe they'd be so stupid to do something like that and I hope they're released soon.' It is understood Balinese officers halted the couple at the X-ray machine after finding 'suspicious' items in their suitcases. They were pulled to a separate area, where staff found the narcotics sealed in blue plastic 'Angel Delight' sachets in Collyer's luggage. However, Indonesia has paused the death penalty since 2017 and Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto's government has in recent months repatriated several high-profile foreign nationals convicted of drug offences back to their home countries. Pictured: Lisa Stocker arriving for her trial at Denpasar district court on June 3, 2025 More cocaine was found in seven plastic bags in his partner's suitcase. It is alleged that Mr Collyer and Ms Stocker were caught with 17 packages of cocaine in total, with a value of £296,000. Angel Delight is a powdered dessert mixture that was popular in the 1960s and 70s. A former neighbour and friend of the Stocker family said: 'I can't believe it. I'm in shock. Gosh, I feel for the family. They were my neighbours for many years and they were nice.' Jeannie, who would not give her surname, said: 'They were a big family but we got on well. Lisa was nice. I can't believe they'd be involved in something like this.' The heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction is the death penalty under Indonesian law. However, the Indonesian government has paused the death penalty since 2017 and the country's president Prabowo Subianto has in recent months repatriated several high-profile foreign nationals convicted of drug offences back to their home countries. Frenchman Serge Atlaoui returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed a deal to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds' because he was ill. In court the police wheeled in the near-50kg haul of cannabis she was caught carrying as their investigation into the drugs bust continues The former TUI cabin crew member is facing years locked in a Sri Lankan jail after being caught with nearly £1.2million worth of synthetic cannabis In December, Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines. It also sent the five remaining members of the 'Bali Nine' drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia. According to Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, before Veloso's release. Collyer, Stocker and Float are only three of numerous Brits detained overseas on drug charges. Last month a British former flight attendant was accused of smuggling £1.2 million of super-strength cannabis into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in Colombo after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase. She had just arrived in the Sri Lankan capital on a flight from Bangkok in Thailand. She was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport and taken into custody on Monday, May 11. She is facing up to 25 years locked in a hellhole Sri Lankan jail - but she has insisted she has been set up. MailOnline spoke to her from her cell where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy. The incident came just days after a British teenager was arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi after allegedly arriving from Thailand carrying 14kg of cannabis in her luggage. Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in the former Soviet country after being accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics. The youngster from Billingham, Country Durham, was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away at Tbilisi International Airport on the charges. Concerns had been raised that the two cases were related as both young women left Bangkok airport on the same day. But Ms Lee told MailOnline she did not know Ms Culley, who has been remanded in custody until her next appearance on July 1. Miss Lee and Miss Culley were arrested in Sri Lanka and Georgia respectively within hours of each other. Ms Culley faces spending life behind bars in Georgia with an evil sledgehammer killer who throttled her own child to death. The 18-year-old is languishing in notorious Women's Penitentiary Number Five alongside double murderer Magda Papidze, 35. Flame-haired Papidze is the only current inmate serving a full life sentence after smashing her husband Omar Kaphiashvili to death with a sledgehammer as he slept, after first strangling their five-year-old son, Tornike.


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Full tragic timeline of 3-week hunt for Pheobe Bishop – from airport disappearance to housemate arrests and horror find
PHEOBE Bishop mysteriously vanished over three weeks ago in a gripping disappearance case which puzzled the world. The shocking story has been plagued by grim twists and heartbreaking pleas after the 17-year-old teenager went missing near an airport on May 15. 16 16 16 16 Before she disappeared, Pheobe had been living in the town of Gin Gin, which is north of Brisbane in Australia. The sleepy neighbourhood has a population of about 1,100 people. The teenager had been living in a derelict pad - which had a foul smell and was very noisy according to neighbours. She lived there with two housemates: James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33. On the day she went missing, Pheobe was meant to board a flight to see her boyfriend in Western Australia. Her housemates drove her to Bundaberg airport, but police said CCTV there never even saw her enter the terminal and she never actually checked in. She was on her way to Perth to visit her "high-school sweetheart" boyfriend. Pheobe reportedly made a last minute call to him at 8:30am mere moments before she was set to get on the flight to Western Australia. A family member said: "She didn't check in for her flight to visit her boyfriend who she spoke to on the phone at 8.30am." According to the Daily Mail, Wood said the couple had an explosive argument in the car with Pheobe over whether she could do her makeup before arriving at the airport. He said they pulled over just under a kilometre from their destination. Wood and Bromley then allegedly walked off and were away from Pheobe and the car for five minutes, according to the 34-year-old. A missing person's report was issued for her one day later on May 16. Her worried sick sister, Kaylea Bishop, sent Wood and Bromley a simple text, demanding to know the whereabouts of her sibling. She said: "Where is my sister?" On the following weekend, her desperate mum Kylie Johnson made emotional pleas for anyone with information to come forward. By May 18, over 400 missing person posters with Pheobe's photo had been plastered across the Wide Bay region. The next week, on Monday May 19, police launched their search for Pheobe. It covered land along Bundaberg's Airport Drive and the surrounding areas. 16 16 16 16 But mysteriously, police didn't find any sign of the teen or her belongings. Police, along with Pheobe's mum, described her disappearance as out of character on May 20. They also asked the public for information about the 2011 grey Hyundai ix35 hatch, owned by Bromley, that had been seen around Airport Drive at the time of Pheoebe's disappearance. The next day, police updated the case and said they were treating Pheobe's disappearance as a suspicious. They also declared two crime scenes - one being the run-down home she was living at, and the other being the infamous Hyundai she was driven to the airport in. After inspecting the foul-smelling home, police found four dead dogs rotting inside. But it was later understood that these four pups died of natural causes. Airport Drive, Samuels Road and Gin Gin were also named as locations of interest. On May 22, Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson stressed the importance of public information. In a chilling plea, he said: "People don't vanish." 16 16 16 The day after that, police revealed they were searching through bushland and waterways at Good Night Scrub National Park, near to where Pheobe was last seen. This scan went on for the next two days, during which police dogs joined the hunt. On May 25 Bromley was arrested in a major twist after police allegedly found weapons in her silver Hyundai. On May 26, the search area was expanded - before cops made a harrowing revelation. They believed evidence had been moved from the Good Night Scrub area before they arrived there. And on this same day, a new number plate was discovered to have been suspiciously painted and taped over the notorious Hyundai's original plate. The gruelling search effort in Good Night Scrub National Park then continued from May 27 for five more days. Disturbingly, the search appeared to lose hope as police said they would no longer be doing any more physical scans for Pheobe on Wednesday, June 4. They said they would restart any searches only when they had relevant information. But in a dramatic twist on the very same day - Pheobe's housemate Wood was arrested. 16 However, no charges were made and he was released a day later on June 5. And in yet another turn in the tale - Wood and Bromley were then both arrested and charged with murder on the same day Wood was released - exactly three weeks after Pheobe went missing. They were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. Shocking footage released on Friday showed the moment police arrested Wood and escorted him out of an RV for the "homicide of Pheobe Bishop". Both Wood and Bromley appeared at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning. Outside the building, Pheobe's heartbroken sister Kaylea Bishop said her sibling was 'loved and missed' dearly. Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and were planning to move in together last year. And in the latest heartbreaking update, human remains were found during a search for Pheobe. They are yet to be identified, but police have spoken to Pheobe's family regarding the harrowing discovery. The body was found close to Good Night Scrub National Park, near Gin Gin, on Friday, June 6 at around 2:30pm. 16 Pheobe's mum then made a heartbreaking statement. She said: "I didn't think my heart could break anymore than it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid but this. "This is ripping me apart." Pheobe had previously said online that she wasn't living with her mum, and that she had been "in and out" of home for years. Cops are now set to allege that Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport in the morning of May 15. They believe that the trio never actually left the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: "Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle." Wood and Bromley will appear in court on August 11.


The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
China has a stranglehold on the world's rare-earths supply chain. Can Australia break it?
Weeks after China retaliated against Donald Trump's tariffs by suspending exports of a range of rare-earth elements and related high-powered magnets, Ford was forced to pause a production line in Chicago. Days later, executives from other major carmakers, including General Motors and Toyota, told the White House their suppliers faced an impending shortage of necessary materials that could shut assembly lines. The speed of the fallout shows just how reliant the world has become on China's mineral supply chain and its production of rare-earth magnets , used in everything from wind turbines and medical devices to combustion and electric motors, and ballistic missile guidance systems. The Albanese government believes it can help break China's dominance, but experts say the challenge is enormous. Prof John Mavrogenes, from the Australian National University's research school of earth sciences, says the government needs to dramatically boost its investment in skills, education and technology if it wants to develop the domestic capability to manufacture rare-earth products, namely magnets. 'The question over who can deal with the processing and the making of magnets is a really big one, and quite hard to get your head around because we've let China just take that business over,' says Mavrogenes. 'The question is capability. Who's ready to ramp up if we need to? One country that I know isn't ready is Australia. 'We need so many metallurgists and chemical engineers, and we need them tomorrow. We probably need 10, 20, 50 times more than we're producing.' China is a large producer of rare earths and has near-complete control over the refining processes needed to make the minerals useful. It produces about 90% of rare-earth magnets, completing its control of the supply chain. It has become a very efficient, cost-effective provider of rare-earth materials, although given some of the historical environmental damage caused by their extraction and processing, it has paid a price. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Economies around the world have benefited from China's rare earths industry. The system seemed to work, until it didn't. In 2010, China starved Japan's hi-tech manufacturing industries by halting shipments of rare earths for about two months, after a dispute over a detained Chinese fishing trawler captain. In late 2023, China formalised a ban on the export of rare-earth separation technologies. Two months ago, China placed export restrictions on seven strategically chosen rare earths and the end product, magnets. While the recent curbs were sparked by Trump's tariffs, Beijing applied the export controls to all countries. It has implemented a new export permit system, choking the world of supply. Rare-earth magnets need a lot of two light rare-earth elements, neodymium and praseodymium, which are not subject to China's export curbs. But more powerful, heat-resistant magnets used in automotive and defence industries tend to require dysprosium or terbium, which are called heavy rare earths because of their atomic weights. Dysprosium and terbium are on China's list of suspended rare earths, as is samarium, which is also used in hi-tech applications. Until recently, the desire to develop a rare earths sector has been pitched by governments as a means to fuel the transition to clean energy technology and electric vehicles. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion But now, it's also taken on the pressing aim of shoring up supplies of materials required for national interests, including defence. Australia, rich in resources, is seen as a natural competitor to China that could break into its rare-earths supply chain. The Albanese government has openly discussed this desire for well over two years, and officials have crisscrossed the country, from Dubbo in New South Wales to Western Australia and Northern Territory, offering grants, funding and other assistance in order to develop bona fide domestic processing capabilities. Notably, the government has backed the development of Iluka's Eneabba project in WA, which is designed to come online in 2027 and produce several rare-earth oxides, including dysprosium and terbium. Iluka's chief executive, Tom O'Leary, told shareholders last month the 'current industry is unsustainable, owing to China's monopoly position and approach'. 'It is a fact that rare earths are among very few metals where China has demonstrated a preparedness to withhold supply to achieve political or strategic objectives,' O'Leary said. Another Australian company, Lynas, is a step ahead, given it has some rare-earths processing capabilities out of Kalgoorlie. It relies on further refining at its factory in Malaysia, which recently became the first to separate heavy rare-earth elements, primarily dysprosium and terbium, outside China. The Labor government has also proposed setting up a strategic stockpile of critical minerals. While the details of this plan are scant, such a stockpile, by building up supplies, could provide pricing certainty for projects affected by the current monopoly market. The government's various funding announcements show that Australia is focusing on the initial extraction and refining of rare earths, but not on the process of turning that material into metals and, in turn, manufacturing magnets. There are mixed views on whether that is the right approach, given the strategy falls short of developing an end-to-end rare-earths supply chain in Australia, independent of China, as some had hoped for. There has also been limited discussion of the potential for magnet recycling in Australia. Rowena Smith, the chief executive of Australian Strategic Materials, says it is more realistic for Australia to partner with overseas magnet producers outside China than to quickly develop capabilities to produce magnets. 'The opportunity for Australia is to play to our strengths upstream and integrate with allied partners into those emerging magnet manufacturers,' says Smith. 'It would be ambitious to get this supply chain up rapidly in Australia, because you need every piece of the supply chain to come online simultaneously.'