An Indonesian court has sentenced Australian man Troy Andrew Smith to six months of rehabilitation after he was found guilty of possessing methamphetamine in Bali. Smith, who hails from Port Lincoln, was arrested on April 30 following a police raid on his hotel room near Kuta Beach. Authorities seized 3.15 grams of crystal methamphetamine, along with 0.4 grams of the drug, a bong, and a lighter from his desk drawer.
Initially facing a drug trafficking charge, which could have carried the death penalty, Smith’s charge was later downgraded to drug possession for personal use. This decision came after a police drug assessment determined that Smith was merely a user, not a trafficker. Smith had ordered the methamphetamine from Australia three weeks prior to his arrest, claiming that he had used the substance regularly since 2020 to cope with depression and anxiety.
Despite facing up to 12 years in prison under Indonesia’s strict drug laws, Smith expressed regret for his actions and apologized during the trial. The panel of three judges at Denpasar District Court handed down the six-month rehabilitation sentence, with time already served taken into account. This means Smith could be released in a few months.
Smith’s initial arrest was triggered by a tip-off regarding a suspicious package containing toothpaste, sent from Australia. Indonesian authorities have rigorous drug laws, with drug traffickers facing the death penalty. Despite the severity of the drug laws, Smith’s case was handled more leniently, and both prosecutors and Smith’s legal team accepted the verdict, indicating that no appeal would be made.
Smith, who was on his honeymoon in Bali at the time of his arrest, expressed his gratitude to his Indonesian and Australian legal teams, as well as his family, for their support.
