3 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Bombshell update after Australian was arrested in Bali on drug trafficking charges as cops put him on parade in orange prison clothes
A second Australian arrested in Bali over alleged drug offences in as many weeks will avoid trafficking charges that could have seen him sentenced to death.
Puridas Robinson, 40, from Queensland, was paraded in front of local media by the Bali Branch National Narcotic Agency (BNN) on Thursday following police allegedly finding a stash of marijuana at his West Denpasar villa.
He was among 21 people arrested by the agency during April and May in a crackdown on illicit drugs on the popular holiday island.
Aside from Robinson, there were four other foreigners in the group including two from Kazakhstan, one from the US and an Indian man, Harsh Vardhan Nowlakha, 31, who allegedly tipped detectives off about Robinson.
The head of the drugs eradication unit at BNN, Senior Commander Made Sinar Subawa, told Daily Mail Australia Robinson will only be charged with drug possession, which carries a maximum 12 years prison term if he is found guilty, and that trafficking charges would be dropped.
Robinson was arrested following the arrest of Nowlakha at Bali Airport last Thursday when he arrived from Los Angeles allegedly carrying 600g of marijuana.
Nowlakha allegedly told investigators that he brought the drugs for Robinson and police followed him to Robinson's address where they swooped and searched the property.
Robinson denied that he ordered the drugs.
'We could not find enough evidence to prove that the drugs seized from Nowlakha was ordered by Robinson. So we will only charged him with article 111 that carries a maximum 12 years prison term,' Made Sinar said.
'Therefore, the investigator decided to drop article 114 that was planned to be used.'
But he confirmed Nowlakha was was still likely to be charged with the more serious article 113 and 114 of the drug law regarding importing narcotics.
In Indonesia, marijuana is a Class 1 narcotic along with heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA.
While investigators could not prove Robinson ordered the drugs that Nowlakha allegedly brought into the country, they did allegedly find 20 grams of marijuana in Robinson's house.
Robinson's arrest is just days after a fellow Queenslander was arrested for alleged cocaine trafficking in a separate drug bust.
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 island.
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.
