A British man has admitted that he has been “very stupid” after being arrested in Indonesia for allegedly smuggling cannabis oil.
Pip Holmes, a 45-year-old artist from Cornwall, was one of five foreigners “paraded at a news conference in Denpasar, the capital of Bali province, last week”, Sky News reports.
The divorced father-of-two was arrested for drug smuggling on 3 December after going to collect a package containing almost 31kg of cannabis oil, according to Indonesian authorities.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Holmes insists he was caught with just 3g of medicinal THC oil that he had asked a friend to send him from Thailand, to help treat his arthritis.
As the BBC notes, Indonesia has very strict anti-drugs laws and has repeatedly arrested foreigners on drug-related charges, which can carry the death penalty.
Holmes arrived in Bali in October to spend a couple of months painting and surfing. He says that he was aware of the drug penalties and that his actions were “foolish and dumb”.
His family fear he could face a jail sentence of up to 15 years, but are hoping that he can “instead serve a short spell in a rehabilitation centre before being deported to the UK”, reports The Daily Telegraph. They have launched a crowdfunding page to raise $100,000 (£80,000) to pay for his legal fees.
In a message posted on the crowdfunding page, Holmes said that he had spent almost a week in a police cell before being moved to a rehab centre after failing a drug test.
He writes: “Each morning I have woken up in a terrible nightmare. I still can’t believe that I’m here and I feel sick with fear.
“As it stands, I don’t know if I’m about to spend a few months in a rehabilitation or if I’m about to face five to 15 years in Kerobokan - one of the toughest prisons on Earth.”
The message continues: “It all went terribly wrong when I was arrested for possession of a tiny amount of THC oil. Stupid much? Yes very very stupid. Right now I feel helpless and very alone.
“This is Asia, it’s not like the West. I am guilty under Indonesian law of possession of narcotics, there’s no denying that. Even though medicinal THC is something so widely accepted elsewhere and it was such a small amount, I foolishly crossed the line in a very strict country.”
-
‘The economics of WhatsApp have been mysterious for years’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Democrats impeach Kristi Noem?Today’s Big Question Centrists, lefty activists also debate abolishing ICE
-
Is a social media ban for teens the answer?Talking Point Australia is leading the charge in banning social media for people under 16 — but there is lingering doubt as to the efficacy of such laws
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
