Latest news with #cocaine
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Angel Delight' drug smugglers avoid death penalty in Bali
Three British nationals have avoided the death penalty for smuggling cocaine disguised as packets of Angel Delight into Stocker, 39, and her husband Jon Collyer, 38, were arrested at Bali's international airport in February after being caught with 994g of the Class A Float, 31, was due to receive the packages and was arrested a few days three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards in East Sussex, were told by a judge that they would only serve a 12 month sentence. Minus the time they have already served, it means the trio could be eligible for release by early Collyer and Float could have faced the death penalty – the heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction under Indonesian and Stocker were caught with 17 packages of cocaine, with a value of roughly £300, BBC's US partner CBS previously quoted the AFP news agency as saying Balinese authorities believe the cocaine was hidden in packets of Angel Delight, a powdered dessert hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners, but it has upheld a temporary halt on the death sentence since president Prabowo Subianto's administration previously moved to repatriate several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offences, back to their home countries.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit ‘drug mules' avoid death penalty over £300k plot in Bali as court reveals short sentence due to ‘polite behaviour'
THREE Brits who faced the death penalty for allegedly smuggling £300,000 of cocaine into Bali have been let off with a one-year sentence. The trio from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex were stopped at Bali's international airport in February with 17 packages of cocaine, according to court documents. 5 5 5 Lisa Stocker, 39, a mum-of-three, and her partner, Jon Collyer, 39, had travelled from the UK via Qatar and were stopped in Indonesia's capital after a routine airport x-ray detected suspicious packages. The couple first appeared in court on February 3 alongside Phineas Float, 31, who was accused of receiving the packages at an airport hotel. Presiding judge Heriyanti said on Thursday morning that all three suspects had violated article 131 of Indonesian Narcotic law. But Heriyanti added that the trio had admitted their offences and behaved "politely", and as a result, he was reducing their sentence. All three defendants said that they accepted the verdict and would not file an appeal. They have been serving time since February, which will count towards their sentence. This means they are expected to be released early next year. In the past, convicted drug traffickers - especially those caught with large amounts - have been executed by firing squads in Indonesia. Those who escape the death penalty are often sentenced to life imprisonment. In mid-July, lead prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara suggested the trio might be able to avoid a serious prison sentence. New CCTV of Brit 'mule' Bella May Culley 'smuggling £200k of cannabis' released as cops slam her claims she was coerced He announced they will ask to "sentence the defendants to one year in prison" each, minus the time already served. Umbara noted that all three had behaved well in court, apologised for their role in the smuggling plot and promised not to reoffend. On July 15, Ms Stocker broke down in tears as she told the court she had been conned into carrying illicit packages. She claimed a friend gave her the packages of Angel Delight in the UK and asked her to take them to Bali. Ms Stocker said in June: "Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine." In mid-July, she again claimed she had no idea that her suitcase was full of narcotics. Her partner, Mr Collyer, admitted what they did was "very stupid" as he told Judge Heriyanti: "I won't do it again." Mr Float remained quiet as he sat in court after being involved in a shouting match during a previous hearing. Back in June, while walking to the courtroom for the first day of his trial he yelled at journalist "f*** off". 5 5
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
‘I'd wake up and do a line,' admits cocaine-addict mum, 31, who blew £1k-a-week snorting four bags a day
A MUM addicted to cocaine who blew £1,000 a week on the drug admitted to doing a line as soon as she woke up. At her worst, Charlee Hill was going through four bags of the Class A drug a day and mopping up daily nosebleeds. 12 She snorted her first line of cocaine at 21 while enjoying a night out with friends 10 years ago. The mum-of-one admits her habit began as a "social" activity before she began using the drug alone as an energy boost to get through the day. At the height of her addiction, Charlee says she spending more than £1,000 a week on her hidden habit. The 31-year-old - who plunged into £10,000 worth of credit card and payday loans debt thanks to her addiction - believes she's spent around £20,000 on cocaine over the years. One shocking photo shows Charlee with blood streaming out of her nose onto her mouth - a daily occurrence due to the quantity of cocaine she was using. Charlee described the drug as "her best friend" at the time and admits she would be dead if she hadn't quit for good four years ago. Now, she is warning others to steer clear of the party drug to avoid falling into a life-long addiction. Charlee, from Oxford, Oxfordshire, said: "I don't think I actually touched drugs until I was about 21. "I used cocaine for the first time on nights out with friends, it was just a social thing to start with. "It was just a few lines throughout the night. It was probably like that for two years, it was around once a month socially with friends. S Club's Jon Lee reveals he spent £250 a week on crystal meth and trashed flat with a hammer "One time I think I had some left over from a night out. I'd had a really bad night's sleep and just decided to do some while I was sober. "It made me awake. That started every other day then it built up to me doing a bag a day. "Towards the end, if I had the money, I was probably doing three to four bags a day." Within two years of trying her first line, Charlee was snorting cocaine most mornings. 12 Charlee said: "I was easily spending thousands of pounds a month on it, I got into a hell of a lot of debt with it. "I had a credit card and was getting payday loans out. I got into £7,000 to £10,000 worth of debt, which luckily I've been able to pay off. "When I was using, I almost couldn't imagine my life without it. I thought 'I'm going to use this for years and years'. I was quite happy with that at the time. "I'd wake up and the first thing I'd do in the morning was a line, which is insane. That's what I'd have to do to almost get out of bed. The addictive spiral of cocaine Cocaine can quickly become addictive as it affects the brain's reward system. It triggers a rise in dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, cocaine creates an intense but short-lived euphoria. The brain adapts itself to these elevated dopamine levels, which can make it harder for people to derive pleasure from non-cocaine sources, driving a compulsive need for the drug. High-stress jobs, drug use among friends or colleagues, and relying on cocaine to manage underlying mental health issues can also fuel addiction. Cocaine addiction poses severe risks to physical and mental health as well as the welfare of your family, career prospects and personal security. Some of the most serious health effects include: Elevated heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events Heightened body temperature and hyperactivity, which can lead to physical exhaustion Decreased appetite, often resulting in significant weight loss Increased aggression, potentially leading to conflict, violence or other dangerous situations Chronic cardiovascular issues, including heart disease Respiratory complications and neurological impairments such as seizures and strokes Severe gastrointestinal problems and malnutrition Persistent nosebleeds and loss of the sense of smell (for those who snort cocaine) Increased susceptibility to infectious diseases (for those who inject cocaine) Heightened anxiety and paranoia Mood swings, depression and suicidal thoughts due to the cycle of intense highs and debilitating crashes There are also a number of personal long-term side effects of cocaine addiction. These include: Source: UKAT "I would never do it around my child. It gave me a confidence boost, it makes you think you're amazing. "Cocaine was like my best friend. I would cut everyone off, I would much rather stay at home and do lines on my own. "I wouldn't be able to get through any normal day-to-day thing without it. I wouldn't be able to go to the shops or talk to people without it. "I always had a blocked and sore nose. In the worst times, I was getting nosebleeds every single day." 12 Determined to kick the damaging habit, Charlee went into a rehab facility in February 2019 but relapsed less than six months later. It wasn't until August 2021 that Charlee chose a "better life" for herself and her child, ditching cocaine for good. Charlee said: "It probably would've ended up killing me. My nose would've probably ended up caving in and I would've ended up dying. "I don't know if I'd be alive now if I didn't stop when I did. "I was spending so much money on it, I wanted a better life, not just for me but for my child too. Eventually, I would've lost custody. "I was so fed up of living like this and still doing line after line. "I'm so proud of myself that I've managed to come out the other end, a lot of people don't. "I'd say to someone struggling, talk to someone. If you relapse, keep starting again and don't give up. "It's not worth it. I wouldn't wish an addiction on my worst enemy. Don't even try it, it's not worth ruining your life over." 12 12
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
British nationals jailed in Indonesia for drug offences
Judges in Indonesia have sentenced a group of three British nationals to one year in jail for drug offences after a charge that could carry the death penalty was dropped. Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 28, and his partner Lisa Ellen Stocker, 29, were arrested on February 1 after customs officers found 993 grammes (2.2 pounds) of cocaine worth an estimated six billion rupiah (£271,731). The drugs were hidden among sachets of powdered dessert mix. Two days later, authorities arrested Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, after a delivery of the drugs arranged by police. During their June trial, defence lawyers argued their clients were unaware the food given to them in England contained cocaine. On Thursday, the three-judge panel in Denpasar District Court handed down one-year prison terms for each defendant minus time served, making them eligible for release in seven months. Separately, an Argentine woman was sentenced to seven years and a British man received a five-year sentence with a fine of one billion rupiah (£45,322) on charges of smuggling cocaine to Bali. Eleonora Gracia, 46, was arrested in March at Bali's airport with 244 grammes (0.5 pounds) of cocaine. Authorities alleged she handed over the cocaine to Elliot James Shaw, 50, during a police sting operation at a Bali hotel. The sentences were considered lenient as Indonesia typically hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling, including the death penalty. Indonesian authorities also said they recently arrested a Brazilian man and a South African woman accused of smuggling cocaine. The 25-year-old Brazilian man, identified by the initials YB, was arrested on July 13 shortly after arriving from Dubai and charged with carrying 3,086 grammes (6.8 pounds) of cocaine in his suitcase and backpack at Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport, said Made Sinar Subawa, head of the Eradication Division at Bali's Narcotic Agency. The same day, customs officers seized 990 grammes (2.1 pounds) of cocaine they say was being carried in the underwear of a 32-year-old South African woman, identified as LN, it was said. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, according to Ministry of Immigration and Corrections data. Indonesia's last executions of a citizen and three foreigners were carried out in July 2016. The country has upheld a moratorium on execution since 2017. President Prabowo Subianto has moved to repatriate several high-profile foreign inmates, all sentenced to death or life in prison for drug offenses, back to their home countries since he took office in October. A British woman, Lindsay Sandiford, now 69, has been on death row in Indonesia for more than a decade. She was arrested in 2012 with 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine in her luggage. Serge Atlaoui, an ailing Frenchman, returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds'. Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines in December. In the same month, the government sent to Australia the five remaining members of a drug ring known as the 'Bali Nine'.
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
British nationals jailed in Indonesia for drug offences
Judges in Indonesia have sentenced a group of three British nationals to one year in jail for drug offences after a charge that could carry the death penalty was dropped. Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 28, and his partner Lisa Ellen Stocker, 29, were arrested on February 1 after customs officers found 993 grammes (2.2 pounds) of cocaine worth an estimated six billion rupiah (£271,731). The drugs were hidden among sachets of powdered dessert mix. Advertisement Two days later, authorities arrested Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, after a delivery of the drugs arranged by police. During their June trial, defence lawyers argued their clients were unaware the food given to them in England contained cocaine. On Thursday, the three-judge panel in Denpasar District Court handed down one-year prison terms for each defendant minus time served, making them eligible for release in seven months. Separately, an Argentine woman was sentenced to seven years and a British man received a five-year sentence with a fine of one billion rupiah (£45,322) on charges of smuggling cocaine to Bali. Advertisement Eleonora Gracia, 46, was arrested in March at Bali's airport with 244 grammes (0.5 pounds) of cocaine. Authorities alleged she handed over the cocaine to Elliot James Shaw, 50, during a police sting operation at a Bali hotel. A Brazilian national identified as YB, centre, and South African national identified as LN, right, during a press conference in Denpasar on Thursday (Firdia Lisnawati/AP) The sentences were considered lenient as Indonesia typically hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling, including the death penalty. Indonesian authorities also said they recently arrested a Brazilian man and a South African woman accused of smuggling cocaine. The 25-year-old Brazilian man, identified by the initials YB, was arrested on July 13 shortly after arriving from Dubai and charged with carrying 3,086 grammes (6.8 pounds) of cocaine in his suitcase and backpack at Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport, said Made Sinar Subawa, head of the Eradication Division at Bali's Narcotic Agency. Advertisement The same day, customs officers seized 990 grammes (2.1 pounds) of cocaine they say was being carried in the underwear of a 32-year-old South African woman, identified as LN, it was said. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, according to Ministry of Immigration and Corrections data. Indonesia's last executions of a citizen and three foreigners were carried out in July 2016. The country has upheld a moratorium on execution since 2017. President Prabowo Subianto has moved to repatriate several high-profile foreign inmates, all sentenced to death or life in prison for drug offenses, back to their home countries since he took office in October. Advertisement A British woman, Lindsay Sandiford, now 69, has been on death row in Indonesia for more than a decade. She was arrested in 2012 with 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine in her luggage. Serge Atlaoui, an ailing Frenchman, returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds'. Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines in December. In the same month, the government sent to Australia the five remaining members of a drug ring known as the 'Bali Nine'.
