The trial of an Australia man accused of helping to smuggle 1.8kg of cocaine into Bali has been delayed.
Lamar Aaron Ahchee, the 43-year-old son of former Queensland Senior Constable Les Ahchee, was filmed entering the court shortly before the trial was pushed back due to a scheduling conflict for a key witness.
Little is known about why the witness was unable to front the court, only that their absence triggered the delay in proceedings.
Ahchee last Thursday told a Bali court he was helping his friend ‘Boss’ by receiving two packages at his home on the Indonesian island.
The Aussie, from Cairns, was arrested on May 22,
Police allegedly found cocaine inside 54 individually-wrapped Lindt chocolates in his apartment north of Kuta.
Airport customs officer Angga Aryo told the court he discovered ‘two suspicious mail packages’ sent from the UK and authorities subsequently tested the contents of the wrappers.
Each chocolate wrapper allegedly contained 8.3g of cocaine.
Pictured is Lamar Aaron Ahchee, the 43-year-old son of a former Queensland constable who has been accused of smuggling drugs into Bali, entering court in Denpasar on Thursday
Earlier this month, one of Ahchee’s lawyers, Ida Bagus Sakti, said he was confident his client would be spared capital punishment (Ahchee is pictured last week at Bali court)
When asked why he was the alleged receiver of the packages, Ahchee told police he was simply helping out his friend ‘Boss’.
‘I’m not sure about the address on the package, he said it was my address, I never knew about the package at all, I was just helping my friend,’ he told the court.
‘The defendant (Ahchee) told police that he only help his friend to take the drugs,’ Bali police officer I Putu Gede Mahardika told the court.
‘This modus operandi is often done, where the one who ordered tells other people to take the mail package.’
In response, Ahchee told reporters: ‘It’s not mine’.
If convicted for the drug offences, the 43-year-old could face the death penalty.
Earlier this month, one of Ahchee’s lawyers, Ida Bagus Sakti, said he was confident his client would be spared capital punishment.
‘Me and my team are specialised in these narcotics cases,’ he said, claiming they would get the decision ‘as light as possible’.
Ahchee (pictured) said he was helping his friend ‘Boss’ when he was received two packages containing 54 Lindt chocolate wrappers allegedly containing 8.3g of cocaine each
The Lindt boxes allegedly contained 54 packets (pictured) filled with 8.3g of cocaine each
‘I’m confident my client will not be charged with (the) death penalty (and) I do have confidence (in) our team that we’re going to win the case,’ he said.
When asked what makes him confident, the lawyer said it was ‘experience’.
Ahchee is being held at Bali’s infamous Kerobokan jail, where he was visited by his sister Stephanie who travelled from her home in Cairns.
She claimed Ahchee was holding up well in custody and thanked local authorities.
‘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 case will return to court next Thursday.
The 43-year-old grew up playing soccer in Cairns but moved to Sydney’s well-heeled east, living in a $1.5million unit in Bellevue Hill and working as VIP manager at Marquee and later Casablanca nightclubs.
Ahchee’s sister, Stephanie (pictured), thanked authorities for treating her brother well in June
He had moved to Bali by 2019, where his online professional profiles show he worked as the director and co-founder of technology groups.
Previously, he had worked for marketing companies with strong ties to the nightlife scene in both Sydney and Bali.
In 2015, he was the director of marketing and events at Sydney Seadeck, a $5million party boat popular among glamorous Sydney socialites.
He would later work for Omnia Beach Club, a popular venue in Uluwatu for two years, before finding hospitality work in Canggu at Brick Lane.
He stepped down as the general manager of Canggu restaurant Brick Lane Bali last November after eight months in the role.
