Lamar Ahchee: Australian man arrested in Bali says he had no idea drug parcels contained cocaine

An Australian man who could face the death penalty in Indonesia over an alleged attempt to smuggle $1.1m worth of cocaine into Bali claims he was set up and had no idea the parcels he collected contained drugs.

Lamar Ahchee, 43, originally from Cairns and the son of former Queensland senior constable Les Ahchee, was arrested last Thursday after allegedly collecting two drug-filled parcels sent from the UK.

Authorities allege 1.8kg of cocaine was concealed inside two Gold Lindt chocolate boxes, with each box containing 54 individually wrapped packets of the drug that weighed 8.3g per packet.

Mr Ahchee allegedly tested positive for drugs while in custody.

His lawyer, Edward Pangkahila, said his client denied any involvement in drug trafficking.

“He’s telling me that honestly, he doesn’t know what was inside. We’re still looking for that somebody who tell him to take this package,” Mr Pangkahila said.

“The police have to find this guy.”

Mr Pangkahila said his client was “very upset and stressed” by the ordeal.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that consular support was being provided to an Australian man detained in Bali but declined to provide further information due to privacy obligations.

Bali police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya said the parcels arrived in Indonesia on May 12 and were flagged as suspicious after being scanned at Ngurah Rai Airport.

A controlled delivery was then conducted by customs and the Bali Regional Police Narcotics Directorate.

One parcel was allegedly sent from Runwell, east of London, addressed to “Alex and Julie” in Kuta Utara, near Canggu. The other reportedly came from Braintree and was addressed to “Dave Jones” in the same area.

On May 22, police allege Mr Ahchee arranged for a driver to pick up the parcels. After meeting the driver at a restaurant, he allegedly took the packages back to a location in Canggu, where he was arrested by the Bali drug squad. Authorities say he resisted arrest and sustained injuries during the encounter.

Police allege Mr Ahchee was in possession of 1.8kg of cocaine, an amount that carries the death penalty under Indonesian law, and he was offered nearly 50 million rupiah (about $A4700) to receive and distribute the drugs. He has since been charged with three drug offences, including importing narcotics.

Mr Ahchee has been living in Bali since 2017. He previously worked in hospitality and resigned as general manager of Canggu restaurant Brick Lane Bali in November last year after eight months in the role.

His LinkedIn profile states he co-founded and directed tech companies in Jakarta and Bali from 2019 and previously worked in marketing in Sydney.

His arrest comes just five months after the final members of the infamous Bali Nine returned to Australia, almost two decades after they were caught attempting to smuggle heroin from the holiday island in 2005.

Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in 2015. Another member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died in custody in 2018.

Renae Lawrence, who was the only member to avoid a life sentence or the death penalty, was released in 2018.

The group had attempted to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin strapped to their bodies.