A South n dad facing 12 years in a Balinese jail after he was allegedly busted with methamphetamine says the drugs were gifted to him for helping a mate buy a car.
Troy Smith was holidaying in Bali with his new wife, Tracy Ijusa, on April 30 when Indonesian police raided their room at that Champlung Mas Hotel in Legian, on the island’s south.
They allegedly found 3.14g of methamphetamine concealed in a Colgate toothpaste tube that was sent to Smith from Cairns, and was labelled as containing private paperwork, photos and lubricant.
Police allegedly found a further 0.4g that was bought in bought in Bali, along with a bong and a lighter.
Smith’s lawyers told local media their client had been a drug addict for four years and should be sent to rehabilitation rather than to jail with an AU$756,000 fine – equivalent to about eight billion Indonesian rupiah.
n dad Troy Smith (pictured with his wife, Tracy) has been charged with drug possession in Bali
Indonesian police allege they found crystal meth in Troy Smith’s four-star beach resort hotel room in Bali (pictured with his wife, right)
He is also expected to front a police press conference in Denpasar on Monday and claim the majority of the methamphetamine was sent to him, and he therefore did not allegedly import drugs into the country himself.
Smith will then be subject to the ‘walk of shame’ – an unusual form of justice where an accused person is paraded around town with a sign hanging from their neck, declaring their alleged actions were wrong.
His lawyer, Ida Bagus Gumilang Galih Sakti, told media the package of crystal meth was a ‘present’ from a friend, but it had only made his client ‘suffer’.
‘I heard from Troy… that this was a present, because the sender knew that he was a user,’ Mr Sakti said.
He said the package was related to a car sale, but his client did not know the drugs would be sent to him.
He has been in a prison cell in Bali since his arrest two weeks ago and could be there for months before the matter is heard in court.
Mr Sakti said that Smith was ‘very depressed and sorry’ about the situation.
‘When people get caught by police in another country, they will sulk… and he’s quite depressed at the moment,’ Mr Sakti said.
Smith was originally from Port Lincoln but appears to have moved to Cairns within the last two years.
He proposed to Ms Ijusa in October last year and they tied the knot in January.
Troy Smith will be forced to do the ‘walk of shame’ Pictured: ns doing the walk of shame on the Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan in 2016, following allegations of bike theft
She was also arrested on April 30 but was released without charge, but has remained in Bali to support her husband.
It is understood Smith’s relatives flew to Bali last week.
‘There is family over there, supporting him in any way they can,’ a source told the Adelaide Advertiser.
‘They don’t know what’s going on. They’re just in shock.’
They described the allegations as ‘out-of-character’ and said Smith was ‘just a pretty regular kind of guy’ who would not normally (allegedly) do something stupid like that’.
The n Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to Smith.
n government website Smart Traveller warns of the strict penalties drug use can attract in Indonesia.
‘Penalties for drug offences include heavy fines, long prison sentences and the death penalty. Police target tourist destinations,’ the website states.
‘You may face heavy fines or jail for possessing even small amounts of drugs, including marijuana.’
Troy Smith married Tracy Ijusa in Kenya in December. He proposed to her in October