Australian man in Bali drug case says he was helping a friend

An Australian man accused of smuggling 1.8 kilograms of cocaine into Bali inside Lindt chocolate wrappers told a Bali court on Thursday that he was simply helping a friend and that the drugs were not his. Lamar Aaron Ahchee, 43, the son of a former Queensland senior constable, was arrested May 22 after authorities found the drugs inside 54 Lindt chocolate wrappers at his north-of-Kuta apartment.

Airport customs officer Angga Aryo testified that two suspicious mail packages had been sent from the United Kingdom and were opened at the airport, where officers determined the wrappers contained cocaine. Each of the Lindt wrappers reportedly contained 8.3 grams of cocaine, and the two packages together held 54 wrappers.

Ahchee told the Bali court that he did not know about the packages and was only helping his friend, referred to as “Boss.” “I'm not sure about the address on the package, it was my address, I never knew about the package at all, I was just helping my friend,” he said. Police described his statement as part of a broader explanation that the one who ordered the delivery often tells others to take the mail.

This operation, if proven, could carry a possible death sentence under Indonesia's narcotics laws. A Bali police official, I Putu Gede Mahardika, said the defendant told investigators he had simply helped his friend receive the drugs.

One of Ahchee's lawyers, Ida Bagus Sakti, said defense teams specialized in narcotics cases expected the court to issue a light sentence rather than a death penalty, saying they are confident the case would be resolved in a favorable manner: “Me and my team are specialized in these narcotics cases … I do have confidence in our team that we’re going to win the case.”

Ahchee’s sister, Stephanie, traveled from Cairns to observe proceedings and expressed gratitude to Indonesian authorities for their professionalism, saying the family appreciates the fair and respectful treatment.

Ahchee, 43, is being held at Bali's Kerobokan Prison, where the case was scheduled to return to court next Thursday. By background, he grew up playing soccer in Cairns before moving to Sydney and later Bali, where he frequently appeared in nightlife circles and online business profiles as a director or co-founder of technology groups. He held marketing and hospitality roles in Sydney and Bali and stepped down as general manager of Brick Lane Bali in November.