An Australian father who was allegedly caught with meth in Bali has been moved from prison to rehab.
Troy Smith, from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was allegedly caught with 3.19 grams of methamphetamine at the Champlung Mas Hotel in Legian, Bali, on April 30.
Police are said to have found another 0.4 grams of the drug bought in Bali, along with a hookah and a lighter.
Smith, 49, was initially charged with drug possession, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years, but was later charged with drug trafficking.
In what appears to be a positive step, it was announced on Wednesday evening that documentation had been submitted and ‘a forensic assessment’ had been carried out into the father’s medical condition.
Troy Smith, 49, has been moved from an overcrowded cell to a rehabilitation center in what can be seen as a positive step for the father
The father, from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was caught in Bali with 3.19 grams of methamphetamine
“As a result, Troy has been transferred from the Central Police holding cells to a rehabilitation center,” said a statement from the consulting firm his family hired.
“We recognize and appreciate the professionalism of the Indonesian police and paramedical healthcare services.”
It was reported that Mr Smith struggled in the overcrowded concrete cell at police headquarters in Denpasar with only a bucket to use as a toilet.
Mr Smith’s lawyer, Edward Pangkahili, said Mr Smith had cried in prison and was very stressed after the charges. The advertiser reported.
Mr. Smith’s lawyers said the drug package was allegedly sent to him by a friend as a thank you for his help with a car purchase, and that Mr. Smith did not know what was inside.
The father recently got married after meeting his wife, Tracy Ijusa, on Tinder and getting married in her native Kenya in late December
Mr Smith said he now ‘loved life’ after meeting his wife, saying she gives him ‘motivation to do anything’
At a press conference on Monday, one of Mr Smith’s lawyers, Sienny Karmana, claimed his client had tried to evade arrest “because he was scared”, with police firing two warning shots into the air before he was apprehended.
“The police said he tried to run away, but the police caught him back. “They fired shots in the air and he was surprised and then he fell down and the police caught him,” she said.
Mr. Smith struggled with alcoholism earlier in his life, which led to his children cutting off contact with him and his marriage to the breakdown.
Just a few weeks ago, he was enjoying a globe-trotting life as a newlywed after tying the knot with his wife, Tracy Ijusa, after they met on Tinder.
He proposed in Bali in October, and the couple married in late December in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where Ms Ijusa is from.
“I’ve had an interesting last 12 years,” Smith said in a video.
‘Chronic alcoholic, hit rock bottom. You couldn’t have drank more than me.
‘I saw no way out and honestly I probably should have died. Children don’t talk to me anymore.
‘But then in the most bizarre circumstances during a Tinder meeting I met this girl in Nairobi and I’ve been in Bali ever since.
‘Now I love life. This girl gives me the motivation to do anything. She is my life now.”