Australian miners face up to 12 years in Indonesian prison after being caught with syringes and methamphetamine
Two Australian men arrested in Indonesia after police raids in June
Police said they found syringes and methamphetamine in miners’ rooms
If convicted, the men risk between four and 12 years in Indonesian prison
Workers were operating jumbo rigs in the Mimika region of Papua
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Two Australian miners have been arrested in Indonesia after being caught with syringes and suspected methamphetamine.
The men, aged 44 and 46, have been detained at Mimika Police Station in Indonesia’s West Papua region since June 28.
Mimika’s police chief, I Gede Putra, said officers found nine syringes and an empty plastic bag in a room where one of the men was staying.
Seven more small plastic bags containing powder suspected of being methamphetamine were found in the other man’s room, police said.
Two Australian miners arrested in Indonesia after they were caught with syringes and suspected methamphetamine (pictured, one of the men currently in detention)
Police believe the men have used the drugs in the past year and will now spend between four and 12 years behind bars if convicted.
Indonesia is known for the strictest drug laws in the world.
The men worked in the large gold and copper mine in Mimika district and stayed in the city of Tembagapura before the arrests.
They had each worked for at least five years for the Indonesian contractor Redpath Indonesia, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The men operated jumbo rigs in an underground mine in Grasberg, in a region with the largest gold and copper reserves in the world.
Indonesia is known for the strictest drug laws in the world (photo, Indonesian police in Sorong in West Papua in 2021)
The Australian embassy in Jakarta has been informed of the arrests of the men, who have been detained at Mimika police station for almost a month.
“Officials from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta are providing consular assistance to two Australians arrested in Indonesia,” said a spokesman for the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“We can’t give any further details for privacy reasons.”
The Grasberg mine is located in Papua, near the Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in the country, and is estimated to have just under 20,000 employees.
The Grasberg mine is located in Papua (pictured), near the Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in the country and has just under 20,000 employees