JAKARTA: A British man is facing up to 20 years in prison in Indonesia after police arrested him with a large amount of cocaine in his possession. According to local police, Paul Beales, 40, was arrested last May and has been linked to another British woman, Lindsay June Sandiford, who was also arrested after attempting to bring in almost five kilograms of cocaine into the island resort of Bali. Indonesia has stringent drug penalties, and can sentence offenders to death for drug-related crimes. “The defendant, together with Julian Anthony Ponder and Lindsay June Sandiford, was involved in a conspiracy to sell and purchase cocaine,” prosecutor Wayan Terima Darsana told the Denpasar district court. “He could face a jail term up to 20 years,” the prosecutor said. Custom officials said that the cocaine had a street value of more than $2.5 million. The British Embassy in Jakarta did not want to comment on the case, saying they were looking into the matter when Bikyamasr.com contacted them on Monday.
