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Drug Use or Possession are serious offences in Indonesia and Bali as well. There are usually harsh penalties handed down to those involved in drug cases with Marihuana, Heroin or Cocaine, as Schapelle Corby (4.2 kg of Marihuana were found in her luggage), the Bali Nine, model Michelle Leslie and others experienced in the last couple of years.
On the other hand more common drugs like alcohol, kretek cigarettes or even magic mushrooms are widely available and freely and openly advertised.
The youngest drug cases involve 3 men from Italy, Austria and Belgium, who were tipped of and arrested at a private Villa party in Kerobokan; while British chef Gordon Ramsay’s younger brother went on trial for Heroin possession (100 mg) last week. He could face a maximum of 10 years of jail.
Drug Traffickers are routinely sentenced to death in Indonesia, lately 2 Europeans and 2 Indonesians, who were running the biggest Ecstasy factory in Asia with an output of 300.000 pills a week, which was closed down near Jakarta in 2005.
Of the 134 people on death row in Indonesia end of 2006, 37 were foreigners and 97 Indonesians, most of them for drug-related crimes.
So, no wonder that Indonesia is running plenty of campaigns against drugs and drug related crimes. Sometimes things get lost in translation though, as this sign in Buleleng near Singaraya in northern Bali shows: “Hide Drugs!” is surely not what the Police intended, the indonesian motto ‘Jauhi Narkoba’ means actually “Stay away from drugs”. Obviously the interpreter wasn’t fluent enough in english or had other things in mind. 
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I heard rumors Schapelle Corby has been seen at local bars in Kuta. Any truth in this?
Really? Wow! I would say with the Indonesian Legal System nothing is impossible. I heard that prisoners can buy themselves a day at the beach for plenty of Rupiah, heavily guarded of course. But a night at a bar? Why not though. It all depends on the amount of money I guess.
Plenty more comments regarding this post:
http://health.netscape.com/story/2007/06/19/lost-in-translation-hide-your-drugs
[...] Lost in Translation: Hide your drugs! [...]
Nice translation it is like they used somwhere Check Flag instead Czech Flag to welcome our president… I think it was Pakistan… I heard about those 2 girls when I was in Australia almost everyday in news. I hope they are back at home…
Hey I have heard that stuntman not only exist in film production but also in Indonesia Jail too
‘Jauhi Narkoba’ means actually “Stay away from drugs”.
or, in simple words mean “no drugs!”
There are some rumors about Kerobokan Jail (Bali). Its always meaning “may be yes may be no”
Haha! That’s a good one. You can interpret all kinds of things into it. Even more after the recent rumours and investigations, that the guards and even the director are running a Drug Dealing Ring to supply the inmates with all kinds of illegal substances…..
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