In Reply to: drugs posted by Roo_Ted on Monday, 15. November 2004 at 14:14 Bali Time:
There are plenty of out-of-the-way places to grow dope on Indonesia. And there is plenty of demand for it. Logic states that if people are making $2 a day and there's a chance to break the law and earn more, someone will do it.
And yes, the price on Bali is way less. Even cheaper in some other areas. And given the amount of potheads in Australia, it's not as though anyone would need to get rid of surplus stock overseas. I probably know enough people who smoke pot to get rid of 4kgs myself. And the penalties here are much more lenient.
It makes about as much sense as smuggling nuclear technology into the US... they already have plenty, and others are willing to pay more for it.
So what are the options?
Maybe it was a years supply for a few people's personal use. (But you'd still be better off selling it in Australia and using the cash to buy cheaper stuff in Bali.)
Maybe there's some smuggling ring involving baggage handlers and airport staff in both Indonesia and Australia. But there'd have to be a lot of people in on it... and it still doesn't explain why they didn't sell it in Australia. Unless it had been flown to Bali on a domestic flight from somewhere in Indonesia where the prices are low, removed from the domestic bag and placed in a random boogie board by a baggage handler. But there would be easier ways to move it from within the country.
The only real reason to smuggle drugs into Indonesia would be through gross stupidity.
But what's up with the evidence? No record of baggage weight in Australia... what are the computers for? Playing video games? On TV they do DNA and fingerprint tests on plastic bags. They'd do a pollen check on her clothes. They'd link the drugs to a specific geographical location, then go and examine tyre prints and match them to a suspect's car. And other fancy stuff.
It'll be interesting to see what evidence is produced in court.