The Denpasar Police arrested two Australian nationals on Friday for cocaine possession, with police saying the two each face a potential maximum 12-years sentence under Indonesia’s notoriously harsh drug laws.
“We received a tip-off that some Australians were using drugs and so we conducted an investigation for a week and when we arrested them it was true that they were using cocaine,” chief of the Denpasar Police, Ruddi Setiawan, said during a press conference earlier today, as reported by Kumparan.
Police said they were arrested at around 2.30am last Friday at a nightclub in the popular tourist spot of Canggu in North Kuta.
The two men, who police identified as William Cabantog, 36, and David Van Iersel, 38, were allegedly caught with a bag containing 1.12 grams of cocaine. Police said that Cabantog works as a hotel consultant while Iersel is a nightclub promoter. They were paraded in orange prison jumpsuits in front of the local media earlier today during the press conference.
“It wasn’t a drug party. It was just the two of them in one part of the club. They were using [drugs], but we’re still looking into it, whether they might have more involvement. When we arrested them, they were both using cocaine,” Mikael Hutabarat from the Denpasar Police said, as quoted by Detik.
He added that Cabantog and Iersel had bought the cocaine for IDR 3 million (USD 214) from a person identified by his initial, N. He added that N is also a foreigner, and that the police are still looking for him.
“The case is still developing, they said they bought [the cocaine]. We’re also investigating other possible suspects,” Mikael said.
Foreigners are regularly arrested for drug-related offenses in Bali. Under the country’s tough anti-drug laws, drug traffickers could even face the death penalty. Police said that Cabantog and Iersel, however, would face a maximum of 12 years in prison and a fine of IDR 800 million (IDR 57,000) if found guilty.
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