Bali expats arrested for drug possession

balinews

Police in Bali arrested an Australian and a Briton over the weekend and have accused them of possessing more than 17 grams of cannabis resin. Guiseppe Serafino, 48, from Perth and David Matthew Fox, 54 from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, remain in custody and are being interrogated for drug possession, a crime which carries a maximum 12-year sentence. Indonesian police said both had been living in Bali for five years, according to News Corp Australia. It said the duo were arrested on Saturday following a tipoff from a local resident. The Denpasar police chief, Hadi Purnomo, was cited as saying Serafino had hashish, or cannabis resin, weighing 7.2 grams inside a black bag in Sanur, a coastal town on the south-east of Bali island. He said the detained Australian then arranged to meet Fox in an apparent police sting at a bar in Sanur, where about 10 grams were allegedly found on the British man. Both men remain at Denpasar police station. The pair could receive between four and 12 years imprisonment and fines close to £500,000. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/10/briton-and-australian-arrested-in-bali-over-drug-possesssion

Markit

At what stage of world acceptance of marijuana usage does the Indonesian "life sentence" change from punishment to mindlessly sadistic?

balibule

But they won't get life sentence right? Between 4-12 years imprisonment.

Markit

Well lets hope they don't get done for dealing too that would be a death penalty as we all know.

spicyayam

My wife has been working not on this case but another drug case. I don't think I can say much now about it, but getting caught up in the system is as horrific as it sounds. It was interesting to hear about the whole process. btw, did you see this story: Australian man Damian Berg cleared by CCTV footage after being 'framed' for Philippines drug deal - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Markit

It won't be long now until everyone (not just the cops) has their own personal Go-Pro, or the like, running all the time they are alive. You heard it here first...

balibule

They must have been snitched by someone close to them unless they smoke their weed in public. Just shows you how careful you have to be as a foreigner not to get on the wrong side of a local.

davita

balibule wrote Just shows you how careful you have to be as a foreigner not to get on the wrong side of a local.

Exactly...It's scary! It's also scary that foreigners in Indonesia do not fare well in the RI justice system or lack thereof. I recall a British lady who was moonlighting her work as a beautician was snitched to Imigrasi by her employer for 'working outside her work permit.' This is a crime and she spent some time in jail before being deported. If it had been a Indonesian that did the same no crime would have been committed and she would no doubt be fired, but not have the sentence the British lady suffered.

geedee

balibule wroteThey must have been snitched by someone close to them unless they smoke their weed in public. Just shows you how careful you have to be as a foreigner not to get on the wrong side of a local.

Who said it was a local who snitched . Could very well have been another expat

Markit

People do smoke dope here quite openly. I've walked by people doing it - scared me to death! For starters if someone is smoking weed or hashish it reeks for hundreds of meters all around and further, if you know what you are smelling.

davita

Markit wrotePeople do smoke dope here quite openly. I've walked by people doing it - scared me to death! For starters if someone is smoking weed or hashish it reeks for hundreds of meters all around and further, if you know what you are smelling.

I've never even smoked one cigarette but I know the smell in hotels etc...but the smell of marijuana is more powerful. When we lived on our yacht for a few summers in Vancouver the 2nd hand weed-smell in the marina, from the other party-boats, was overwhelming...and gave me quite a buzz...:icon_wink:

balibule

geedee wroteWho said it was a local who snitched . Could very well have been another expat

Because it says so in the article ;-) You are right though. Some expats probably snitch as easily as some locals.

Nydave

I really don't get it,sounds like some of you are almost saying that using this stuff is ok,to me Indonesia has its rules ,however wrong or right they may be,so either respect the laws or there are other countries out there where it is legal,

Mark

SE Asia has a huge and long lasting hangover from the European colonials who used opium to tranquilize the local population into submission. Since independence, the anti-drug thing is basically built into the local dna. Rightly or wrongly I don't see it changing.

SamD

balibule wroteBecause it says so in the article ;-) You are right though. Some expats probably snitch as easily as some locals.

"local resident" to me means anybody living within the locality, I don't get the impression that it was meant to refer to "Balinese". Anyway, Serafino decided to continue the theme and snitched on his mate as well. Nice to have friends like that.

modelt1826

I thought i had read somewhere the net was cast wider and someone from the Polisi and the Army was in the net

balibule

Lots of gossip going around including apparently a list of 60 names they will look into.

Steve Rossell

Everybody knows the rules. If you want to smoke dope or play in those circles then feel free to do so. Just don't whinge when it goes pear-shaped. Harsh???? Maybe.

Mark

Offenses like this used to be no big deal. There's a well known australian/dutch artist in Ubud who was busted for hash possession twice (in 2002 and 2009). Both times claimed he was using it for a medical condition and got three months jail on each occasion (probably out even earlier for good behaviour or time served, etc). Go figure...