Two days after reports first announced that two men (one Aussie, one Indo) were allegedly caught with weed on a Canggu beach, police are revealing more information about the story’s developments.
Before, the Australian man had only been identified by two initials, NL. Well, now we’re up to three initials: NJL. Thankfully that’s not the extent of our new knowledge.
The 24-year-old Aussie who is in Bali for a surfing holiday, is potentially facing serious drug charges and according to police, he says he was an “active drug user in his country,” reports news.com.AU.
NJL was arrested alongside a 25-year-old Indonesian man only identified by initials HPH. The two have reportedly been together in police jail ever since.
RELATED Australian man and Indonesian man arrested for weed possession in Canggu, Bali
While News Corporation says their reporters were not able to talk to NJL directly, they report that police say NJL confessed to smoking weed shortly before his arrest.
In the same report, police investigator Yoan Septi Hendri said it was alleged that the Indonesian man got the weed for free at the Bali bombing memorial site in Kuta (so inappropriate) and then invited NJL along to “enjoy” the grass together.
“After they had dinner that night they shared the joint on the beach,” Hendri said, as quoted by news.com.AU.
“He said that he was an active drug user in Australia. From his country he often used marijuana,” he said.
Apparently HPH is a driver at Green Room villa, the Canggu villa that NJL was staying at.
Police allege it was a security guard that spotted the two men looking suspicious and smoking.
“When the North Kuta police come, the police saw them share the joint,” Hendri said.
The Indonesian man allegedly tried to toss something when police came to the scene. Police reportedly later tested that substance and it came back positive as marijuana: 0.862 grams of it, along with 0.106 grams of a used joint.
From reports, formal charges have not been issued yet and won’t be until the case goes from police to prosecutors.
However, the two apparently don’t need to quake in fear like the Bali Nine pair. Under Indonesian law, drug users are treated much more leniently than drug traffickers. Possession charges carry a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail, while drug user charges just carry a five-year sentence.
So it suddenly seems to make much more sense why the Aussie bloke would say he’s an “active drug USER” in his country.
Photo: Pixabay
