<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/indonesia" rel="" target="" title="Indonesian"><span>Indonesian</span></a><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="court"><span>court</span></a><span> on Thursday sentenced an Australian citizen to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of smuggling </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/drugs" rel="" target="" title="cocaine"><span>cocaine</span></a><span> to the tourist island of Bali.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/accused-australian-drug-smuggler-likely-avoids-bali-death-penalty/5620dd3b-736b-438d-9b66-fbc0faf55ae5" rel="" target="" title="Lamar Aaron Ahchee"><span>Lamar Aaron Ahchee</span></a><span>, 43, from Cairns in north Queensland, was </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/australian-man-faces-bali-court-over-drug-allegations/cmffvckns00090hmszhej36h0" rel="" target="" title="arrested in May when police raided"><span>arrested in May when police raided</span></a><span> his rented house near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot on the island. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They seized 1.7 kilograms of cocaine in 206 clip plastic bags, along with a digital scale and mobile phone.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/epstein-accomplice-ghislaine-maxwell-launches-hail-mary-bid-to-wipe-away-her-conviction/80fa9a7d-51f8-4a8f-b93c-6cf90f631ec9"><strong><span>Ghislaine Maxwell launches Hail Mary bid to wipe away her conviction</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The arrest followed an investigation conducted by Bali police anti-drug surveillance teams who reported the man had received two suspicious packages sent by mail from England. He was suspected of importing or distributing narcotics, according to Indonesian police.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima, who presided over a three-judge panel, announced a sentence of 12 years imprisonment and a fine of 2 billion rupiah ($181,000).</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The verdict was harsher than the prosecutor's demand for a nine-year prison sentence.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/lamar-ahchee-sentencing-indonesian-court-australian-man-12-years-in-prison-for-smuggling-cocaine-to-bali/b1a74562-3960-4812-969f-156877ba527d" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>During the hearing, Ahchee denied that he knew the package he received was cocaine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The judges considered several factors that aggravated the sentence, including the fact that Ahchee had received a large amount of cocaine, which could harm many people and damage the quality and safety of tourism in Bali, Pastima said. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The judge also said that the defendant was evasive and tried to obscure the facts.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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