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Australian arrested in Bali over meth stash
Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 10:15AM
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 01/10/2010
An Australian man has been arrested in Bali with almost two kilograms of methamphetamine.
Transcript
TICKY FULLERTON, PRESENTER: An Australian man caught at Bali's International Airport with nearly two kilograms of a white powder, thought to be methamphetamine, could face the death penalty.
Customs officials say they caught Michael Sacatides trying to smuggle the drugs into Bali from Bangkok.
As Indonesia correspondent Matt Brown reports, he's now been transferred into police custody.
MATT BROWN, REPORTER: Customs officials say the 43-year-old Australian was arrested after arriving on an Air Asia flight this morning. They say he's a boxing instructor who’s been living in Bangkok for a year-and-a-half and earns around $1,900 a month.
Customs officers became suspicious when they detected a plastic bag in his luggage as it passed through the airport screening machines. When they searched the bag they allege they found four packages of methamphetamine, weighing in at 1.7 kilograms.
However, the Sydney born man says he's not a drug smuggler.
MICHAEL SACATIDES, ALEGGED DRUG SMUGGLER: No I didn't bring any drugs, this, this is news to me.
MATT BROWN: The head of the investigation has told the ABC the drugs were found concealed in the side panels of the bag. Mr Sacatides says he knew nothing about them.
MICHAEL SACATIDES: I borrowed the bag, to put, I don't have a bag. I don't have a bag, I just borrowed a bag to put some clothes in.
CUSTOMS OFFICIAL: Somebody asked you to borrow that bag?
MICHAEL SACATIDES: No, no.
CUSTOMS OFFICIAL: Or anybody give you money?
MICHAEL SACATIDES: No.
MATT BROWN: Methamphetamines are Class 1 narcotics under Indonesian law and people caught smuggling more than five grams can be sentenced to death.
Three Australians, all members of the so-called 'Bali Nine' heroin smuggling ring, are currently on death row. If this case proceeds, Mr Sacatides will be brought to trial in four to eight weeks.
Matt Brown, Lateline.
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