Sussex trio accused of drug smuggling appear in Bali court

The trial for three British citizens accused of drug offenses in Bali has officially commenced. Jon Collyer, 38, and Lisa Stocker, 39, were apprehended at Bali’s international airport in February carrying 994g of cocaine, as per Balinese authorities. Phineas Float, 31, who is said to have been intended to receive the packages, was arrested a few days later and joined the two in court.

There is a possibility that all three defendants, who hail from Hastings and St Leonards in East Sussex, might face the death penalty under Indonesian law due to the severity of their alleged crime. It is reported that Mr. Collyer and Ms. Stocker were in possession of 17 packages of cocaine valued at around £300,000. A journalist from Agence France-Presse present at the court in Bali noted that the verdict is not anticipated to be delivered anytime soon.

Indonesia is known for its strict punishments for drug trafficking, including the execution of foreigners in the past. However, since 2017, a temporary moratorium on the death penalty has been in place. President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has been actively working to repatriate numerous high-profile inmates, convicted for drug-related crimes, back to their home countries. The legal counselor Sheiny Pangkahila, who has been representing the defendants since February, emphasized in an exclusive interview with BBC South East that if convicted, they may potentially face lengthy prison sentences in Indonesia, ranging from 15 to 20 years.

Several notable cases of foreign nationals being repatriated from Indonesia have taken place recently. Frenchman Serge Atlaoui was sent back to France due to health reasons following an agreement between Jakarta and Paris. Additionally, Indonesia granted clemency to Mary Jane Veloso and the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring, returning them to their respective home countries. Prior to Veloso’s release, Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Corrections reported that 96 foreigners were on death row for drug offenses

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