The Australian man accused of smuggling more than $1 million worth of cocaine into Bali says he didn’t know what he was picking up.
Lamar Ahchee was allegedly paid $4700 to collect the haul that could see him face the death penalty.
As Indonesian police proudly showcased the 206 packages of the nearly two-kilogram interception, Ahchee’s lawyer said the man behind the mask was shocked.
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“He’s telling me that honestly, he doesn’t know what was inside,” Ahchee’s lawyer Edward Pangkahila said.
The 43-year-old Australian was arrested on the street near his home in Canggu.
It’s alleged Ahchee instructed a driver to collect two boxes stuffed with balls of cocaine disguised as chocolate.
A delivery, it is claimed, he was asked to pick up by someone in the UK, who he knew only as “the boss”.
For it, he was paid $4700.
“Police have to find this guy,” Pangkahila said.
Originally from Cairns, Ahchee moved to Bali in 2017.
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His father told 9News he’s “a good man”.
Former colleague Liesel Pisani agreed, describing him as “the most genuine, kind, happy, helpful human”.
Ahchee is now potentially facing the death penalty.
“To be honest, it brought me to tears, I just could see a broken man there,” Pisani said.
Pangkahila said the former restaurateur was crying as he was paraded by police in front of the media.
Locked in a Balinese prison, it could be more than two months before Ahchee next appears.
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