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An Australian man who was allegedly caught with two bags of cocaine during a traffic stop in Bali has claimed he was framed by the woman accompanying him.
Witnesses filmed the arrest of Nelson Philip James, 32, on June 11 in Pererenan, 13km west of Denpasar in the Indonesian holiday island’s south.
The Aussie from Lismore, in northern NSW, was initially pulled over for allegedly failing to wear a helmet while riding a motorbike.
However, now-viral footage showed officers demanding he raised his hands so they could pat down his body as a female companion stood to the side.
The video appeared to show Mr James repeatedly reaching into his pocket and retrieving two small plastic bags that appeared to contain a white substance, one of which he dropped.
He initially told police the bag contained Panadol.
‘No, no, no, no,’ Mr James said.
‘Try it, it’s Panadol. Test it, it’s Panadol.’
Nelson Philip James was allegedly caught with cocaine and MDMA during a traffic stop (pictured) in Pererenan on June 11
As Mr James (centre) was escorted to the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, he told reporters he was framed
Police allege the two plastic bags contained 0.85g of cocaine and 0.53g of MDMA.
Mr James was escorted by police to the prosecutor’s office in Badung on Wednesday.
As he was led to the building, he told reporters he was being framed by the woman in his arrest footage.
‘Watch the video, watch the video that it’s been put in my pocket, that’s how I feel about it. Watch the video, you see that it’s put in my pocket,’ Mr James said.
When asked who put the alleged drugs in his pocket, he said: ‘The girl that was with me.’
Mr James then described the woman as ‘the devil’.
‘I’m not guilty,’ he told reporters.
The woman in the video has not been charged and Daily Mail does not suggest she is guilty of any wrongdoing.
Mr James told reporters from his cell (pictured) the woman by his side during his arrest had planted the alleged drugs on him
Mr James called the woman (pictured beside an officer holding the alleged drugs ) the ‘devil’
Mr James is expected to face trial at Denpasar District Court in the coming weeks.
Prosecutors have dropped the most serious charge against him, related to drug trafficking, which could have seen him jailed for up to 20 years.
Mr James now faces two charges for drug possession and abusing drugs for personal use.
He faces a maximum of 12 years behind bars.
During an earlier press conference, Badung police chief Arif Batubara claimed Mr James was ‘acting nervous’ during the police stop.
‘During a traffic inspection on June 11, police were observing a traffic violation at the Pererenan area, Tanah Lot,’ Batubara said.
‘He was acting nervous and initially refused to show the documents.
‘When asked again for his paperwork, he took out his hand and a plastic clip fell out of his pocket, but one plastic was still on his hand.
Mr James (pictured) told reporters he’s ‘not guilty’ and urged them to ‘watch the video’ of the arrest
Mr James (pictured during the traffic stop) claimed the alleged drugs were planted in his pocket
‘Narcotic police team was then contacted. They did a follow-up to his villa but found nothing there.
‘According to him, he bought the drugs in Ungasan on June 9.
‘Details of the purchase are still being investigated.’
Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
