Second Australian facing drugs charges
11:32 AEST Tue Aug 23 2005
A 20-year-old Adelaide man is being held in Indonesia after police allegedly found a "broad array" of illicit drugs, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has revealed.
The man, a teacher who lives on the island of Sumatra, is being held for questioning and the drugs are undergoing tests, Mr Downer said.
He was identified by News Limited papers as Graham Clifford Payne.
Payne was arrested on Saturday and his parents had already arrived in Indonesia, the newspaper said.
"He apparently lives in Medan, which is in Sumatra, and he was found ... allegedly, with a quantity of drugs and that's now being investigated by the police," Mr Downer told ABC radio.
"He is being detained while that investigation takes place and if the investigation proves that these really are drugs then they'll charge him."
He is the second Australian to be arrested in Indonesia at the weekend on suspicion of drug offences.
Model Michelle Leslie - who is also Adelaide-born - is in custody while police test two tablets allegedly found in her possession at a Bali party.
Mr Downer said Australian authorities had been asked not to identify the drugs the man was allegedly found to have.
"We've been asked not to say at this stage but it is not just a question of ... tablets," he said.
"It is a broader array of drugs - at least allegedly, we don't know."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said the Australian Honorary Consul in Medan was making arrangements to visit Payne to offer consular assistance.
News Limited papers said he was arrested after Indonesian police allegedly found him with four syringes and 2,126 assorted pills
Under Indonesia's tough drug laws, a person found guilty of narcotics possession faces up to 10 years in jail. A conviction for distribution of drugs carries the death penalty.
Meanwhile, tests are being carried out to determine if two tablets allegedly found in Leslie's possession in Bali are illicit drugs.
She was arrested during an undercover Bali police operation on Saturday at the GW Cultural Park near Kuta.
The Australian government says the 24-year-old, who works under the name of Michelle Lee, could face 10 years in jail if convicted.
"She was found carrying ecstasy, and so we detained her," said Inspector Bambang Sugiharto, from the police narcotics division on Bali island.
Taken from NineMSN News
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I can't believe some Australians can be so stupid. Haven't they learned anything from the Schapelle Corby and Bali 9 cases?!?!?!?!?
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