Isaac Emmanuel Roberts
Anti-Narcotics Agency officials show an Australian man (2nd L), an American man (C), and a Malaysian man (2nd R) to reporters after they were arrested for carrying illegal drugs at Ngurai Rai airport in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, December 19, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Nyoman Budhiana/ via Reuters

Another Australian had been arrested in Indonesia on drug smuggling charges. Isaac Emmanuel Roberts was reportedly caught with 19.97 grams of crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy pills in his luggage.

The 35-year-old accountant was arrested on Dec. 4 but details were only announced in a media conference on Tuesday. Roberts, who was presented together with an American and a Malaysian, all wearing black baklava and orange prison shirt and shorts, now faces a maximum penalty of the death penalty and a minimum of five years’ imprisonment for drug importation charges under Indonesia’s drug laws. His charges are unrelated to that of the American and Malaysian.

According to authorities, he was arrested at Bali’s international airport after arriving from Bangkok. He allegedly appeared suspicious after a routine x-ray of his luggage and so he was taken to an examination room for further search.

He was initially referred to using the initials IER in the press release. His luggage and backpack were apparently caught with the drugs hidden in several packages of contraception inside a clear plastic bag.

Roberts admitted to the media that the drugs were his but he was set up. “I was invited to this country by someone who was working with the customs officer and they knew I was going to bring something,” he was quoted by Sydney Morning Herald as saying. “I’m just a f------ addict, they want to waste their resources on addicts. They want to punish addicts. This is ridiculous. What about the f------ importers? I wasn’t going to sell it to anyone here. No one was going to use it here.”

He further insulted Indonesian police, calling his arrest an “embarrassment” for them. “They are parading small-time users in front of media for tiny amounts when there are kilos going through this airport. This is ridiculous.”

He is being held in the police jail at a headquarters in Denpasar. He will soon be transferred to the infamous Kerobokan prison, where the surviving members of the Bali Nine gang are jailed. He will await trial early next year.

RELATED STORIES