The New Zealand woman arrested in Bali last year for smuggling drugs has admitted to the crime.
A ‘nervous’ but somber-looking and quiet Myra Lynne William appeared in Denpasar Court for the first time after she was charged with possession, use and importation of 0.43 grams of methamphetamine (meth).
Speaking on her behalf, lawyer Poppy Eunike said her client confessed to bringing in the drug. However, she also claimed the drug was not initially hers. “It was given to her by a friend,” Ms Eunike said.
Although a New Zealand native, William lived in Melbourne. She flew from Australia to Bali on August 31, 2016 purportedly to meet up with friends for a holiday. When asked to queue for checking of her documents, she started acting erratic. This eventually caught the attention of the immigration officials, who brought her to a waiting room.
A customs official arrived and ordered her to stand up. While doing so, she dropped a small plastic packet with crystals on the floor. Officers later determined them to be meth. Customs didn’t find other drugs when they searched her bag.
See Also: Indonesia’s War on Drugs
William is currently being held in Kerobokan Prison, a notorious inmate facility, described by one of its previous inmates as “one of the only jails in the world where the prisoners are in control.”
Drug smuggling is a serious offense in Indonesia and carries a maximum penalty of death by firing squad (usually depending on the severity of the offense). One of the infamous executions was that of Bali Nine, who operated a drug ring in the country.
Possession, meanwhile, could lead to up to 12 years of imprisonment and a US$896,000 fine. Drug use carries the shortest sentence of four years in Indonesia.
William’s lawyer rests on the hope that the court will charge her for drug use instead of trafficking, claiming she was already a user before arriving in Bali.
Image Credits: Vice, News.com.au