Latest news with #HarshVardhanNowlakha
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Aussie arrested during a routine traffic stop faces shock drugs charges after a wild night of partying
A third Australian man has been arrested in Bali for an alleged drug offence in as many weeks after he was seized during a traffic stop following a night of partying. Philip James Nelson, 33, was arrested after allegedly being caught driving a scooter without a helmet on in North Kuta, Bali on Wednesday afternoon. Bali police allege he was caught with 0.85g of cocaine and 0.53g of MDMA, which they claim fell from his pocket during the incident. Nelson, who had been living in a villa in the seaside village of Perenan, is alleged to have told authorities he found the drugs in a night club the evening prior to his arrest. Police immediately detained Nelson and took him to Badung Police Station where officials will have up to six days to name his as a suspect for a drug offence. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about Nelson's arrest. He is the third Australian man to be arrested in as many weeks on suspicion of drug-related offending. On May 29, Queensland man Puridas Robinson, 40, was detained after police allegedly found a stash of marijuana at his West Denpasar villa. Like MDMA and cocaine, marijuana is a Class 1 drug in Indonesia. His arrest comes after the arrest of Harsh Vardhan Nowlakha at Bali Airport in May when Nowlakha arrived from Los Angeles allegedly carrying 600g of marijuana. Nowlakha allegedly told investigators that he brought the drugs for Robinson and police followed him to Robinson's address where they searched the property. Robinson denied that he ordered the drugs. The head of the drugs eradication unit at Bali Branch National Narcotic Agency, Senior Commander Made Sinar Subawa, told Daily Mail Australia Robinson would not be charged with trafficking. Instead, he may be charged with drug possession which carries a maximum 12 year prison term. It followed the arrest of fellow Aussie Lamar Ahchee, 43, on May 22 after allegedly smuggling 1.8kg of cocaine from the UK while living in Bali. Ahchee has not yet been charged by officials but could face a potential death sentence if convicted of smuggling the cocaine worth an estimated $1.1million. Following his arrest, Ahchee's family descended on the island where his sister Stephanie issued a message of thanks to Balinese officials. 'Our family wishes to extend our sincere appreciation to the Indonesian authorities for their professionalism and impartiality in handling Lamar's case,' she said. 'We are grateful for the fair and respectful treatment he has received from law enforcement and legal officials throughout this process.' Ahchee's lawyer Edward Pangkahila told reporters his client firmly denied dealing drugs, but conceded he was a 'drug addict'. 'Lamar has been set up by someone called "Boss",' Mr Pangkahila said, referencing a stranger in England who allegedly sent the Lindt boxes. 'He was told to collect the package, but he actually didn't know what the package was. He thought it was a normal package.'
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bombshell update after Australian was arrested in Bali on drug trafficking charges as cops put him on parade in orange prison clothes
A second Australian arrested in Bali over alleged drug offences in as many weeks will avoid trafficking charges that could have seen him sentenced to death. Puridas Robinson, 40, from Queensland, was paraded in front of local media by the Bali Branch National Narcotic Agency (BNN) on Thursday following police allegedly finding a stash of marijuana at his West Denpasar villa. He was among 21 people arrested by the agency during April and May in a crackdown on illicit drugs on the popular holiday island. Aside from Robinson, there were four other foreigners in the group including two from Kazakhstan, one from the US and an Indian man, Harsh Vardhan Nowlakha, 31, who allegedly tipped detectives off about Robinson. The head of the drugs eradication unit at BNN, Senior Commander Made Sinar Subawa, told Daily Mail Australia Robinson will only be charged with drug possession, which carries a maximum 12 years prison term if he is found guilty, and that trafficking charges would be dropped. Robinson was arrested following the arrest of Nowlakha at Bali Airport last Thursday when he arrived from Los Angeles allegedly carrying 600g of marijuana. Nowlakha allegedly told investigators that he brought the drugs for Robinson and police followed him to Robinson's address where they swooped and searched the property. Robinson denied that he ordered the drugs. 'We could not find enough evidence to prove that the drugs seized from Nowlakha was ordered by Robinson. So we will only charged him with article 111 that carries a maximum 12 years prison term,' Made Sinar said. 'Therefore, the investigator decided to drop article 114 that was planned to be used.' But he confirmed Nowlakha was was still likely to be charged with the more serious article 113 and 114 of the drug law regarding importing narcotics. In Indonesia, marijuana is a Class 1 narcotic along with heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA. While investigators could not prove Robinson ordered the drugs that Nowlakha allegedly brought into the country, they did allegedly find 20 grams of marijuana in Robinson's house. Robinson's arrest is just days after a fellow Queenslander was arrested for alleged cocaine trafficking in a separate drug bust. Lamar Ahchee, 43, was arrested in Canggu, a coastal village on the south-west coast of Bali, on May 22 accused of trafficking 1.8kg of cocaine worth $1.1m onto the tourist island. Police allege the Cairns man, who is the son of former Queensland senior constable Les Ahchee, collected two parcels of cocaine concealed in chocolate boxes , each containing 54 individual packets of the drug. Ahchee has denied being a drug dealer and claimed that he was 'framed'. Ahchee, a confessed drug addict, allegedly tested positive for drugs while in custody. His lawyer Edward Pangkahila said Ahchee denied any involvement in drug trafficking. 'He's telling me that honestly, he doesn't know what was inside,'Mr Pangkahila said.
