Australian man nabbed in $30 million drug bust in Bali
* By Cindy Wockner and and Komang Suriad
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* January 12, 2010 12:26AM
AN Australian man arrested in Bali on the weekend was the target of a NSW police operation which seized drugs with a potential street value of $30 million and smashed a European drug syndicate importing ecstasy to Australia.
Timothy Geoffrey Lee, 44, was arrested on Saturday by Indonesian police at the request of Australian authorities, who said he was wanted to face charges in NSW. In documents he was described as possibly being "armed, dangerous and addicted to drugs".
Documents sent to Indonesian police by the Australian Federal Police, requesting his arrest, said that Lee was a target of NSW Crime Commission's Operation Lanyard, in regard to supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, MDMA, and using proceeds of crime.
Operation Lanyard seized drugs with a street value of $30 million in 2006, including 1kg of cocaine, 45kg of MDMA, 11kg of MDMA powder, 45 litres of MDMA oil and $200,000 cash.
Lee, who had been living in Kuta, is now in jail at Denpasar's police headquarters, where he denies any involvement in drugs.
Yesterday he was visited by his lawyer, Erwin Siregar, and his parents, who it is understood are retired in Bali.
Mr Siregar said his client maintained he was not involved with drugs and had never been found guilty of anything. He said when police searched Lee's home in Bali they found no evidence of any drugs.
Lee was also the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, seeking his arrest. This document showed three photographs of Lee and underneath it had the words: "Warning: This person may be armed, dangerous and addicted to drugs."
The notice includes a section of judicial information which alleges that Lee was involved in supplying a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and dealing with the proceeds of criminal offences.
It goes on to say that on June 17 and July 1, 2006 that police seized drugs including 1kg of cocaine, MDMA powder, 45 litres of MDMA oil and equipment used in the process of pressing powder into tablets.
The document says that about July 8, 2006 Lee left Melbourne for Bali.
In a letter dated November 9 last year the Australian Federal Police requested their Balinese counterparts to arrest Lee.
It said: "Lee left Australia before he was arrested and then travelled to Indonesia and finally he is presumed to be living in Bali. A request for his extradition to Australia has been sent to the Government of Indonesia through the Attorney-General.
"When Lee is found he is to be arrested and returned to NSW where he will be charged with violations as follows," the letter says.
The letter goes on to say that Lee's activities in Indonesia are unknown and that recently he has had contact via email with someone in Australia.
Lee was arrested on Saturday as he walked his dog in Canggu, a suburb north of Kuta. He has both Australian and British passports and was living in Bali on a visa which is valid until September this year.
In order for Lee to be extradited to Australia he must first face a court hearing and then the extradition must be approved by Indonesia's President, in a process which could take up to a year.