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Australian Joshua Baker held in Bali over alleged possession of sedative, marijuana

An Australian man is being detained by Bali police after marijuana mixed with tobacco and the sedative medication Diazepam was allegedly found in his suitcase at Bali's international airport.

Joshua James Baker claimed the plastic bag containing the mixture had been given to him by his girlfriend and did not belong to him, a customs official told Fairfax Media.
Mr Baker was intercepted at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport after flying into Bali on a Lion flight from Bangkok at noon on Sunday.

"Based on his travelling profile we put him on our watch," customs head Budi Harjanto told Fairfax Media.

"We watched him go through X-rays and when he headed towards the green desk, we checked him.

"Inside his suitcase we found a suspected 38 grams of marijuana mixed with tobacco and 36 pills of Diazepam."

Diazepam, a medication first marketed as Valium, produces a calming effect and is used to treat anxiety disorders.

It is a drug that one requires permission to have, Mr Budi said.
"We used the rapid test system to test the marijuana," he said.

"Police will do the proper lab test on the marijuana and Diazepam."

Mr Budi said Mr Baker had been handed to police on Monday morning.

"When we interviewed him, he said that he was given the plastic bag containing suspected marijuana and tobacco by his girlfriend, that it wasn't his," Mr Budi said.

He said the amount of narcotics intercepted at customs had come down recently.

"It's a good sign, that our tight security is resulting in deterrent effect. That's why lately we have mostly caught small players or drugs for individual use."

Bali police will soon make a statement.

In November last year, Australian teenager Jamie Murphy was released after Bali's police chief confirmed the white powder discovered on him was a mix of painkillers, cough medicine and caffeine and not an illicit drug.

Joshua James Baker, 32, allegedly spent 10 hours on the run after Indonesian customs officials found the drugs in his luggage on Sunday with police eventually catching up with him in the tourist resort of Kuta....A police source told News Corp Australia Mr Baker fled a police hospital after asking to visit the toilet on Sunday, but was later arrested at a hotel in Kuta.

tightenupvolume1 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:13 pm he comes from Mount Isa, so being in nick in Bali is a step up really.
charlie

JUDGEDREDD wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:49 pm I normally fly with vallys, I'll have a script tho, is that a problem?

Username Taken wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:05 pm

JUDGEDREDD wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:49 pm I normally fly with vallys, I'll have a script tho, is that a problem?

Even if you have a script, to do it properly you also need a letter from your doctor.

AN AUSTRALIAN man arrested in Bali with marijuana in his luggage escaped after police guarding him were “too excited watching television” when he went to the toilet and fled out the window.

He then went on the run for 12 hours, visiting a friend and catching a taxi to a bogus address and doubling back to throw police off his tail, before he was finally caught having lunch at a restaurant.

Joshua James Baker has told police he brought the drugs from Australia to Bali with him and that he did not believe he was guilty because it is legal to use marijuana in Australia.

And police allege he has told them he often consumed marijuana in Bali during previous trips, generally buying it on the holiday island.

This was the first time he had bought his own supply...