DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities arrested an Australian man for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali, a charge that could carry the death penalty, officials said Monday.
The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad.
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An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands escorted during a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine is escorted to a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands after escorted to a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Authorities hold a news conference as an Australian man, second left in the background, arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Lamar Aaron Ahchee, 43, from Cairns in north Queensland, was arrested May 22, after police raided his rented house near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot, and seized 1.7 kilograms (3.7 pounds) cocaine in 206 clip plastic bags, along with a digital scale and cellular phone, said Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya.
The arrest followed an investigation conducted by Bali Police anti-drug surveillance teams who reported the man had received two suspicious packages sent by mail from England, Adityajaya said.
“He is suspected of importing or distributing class 1 narcotics,” Adityajaya told a news conference in the provincial capital, Denpasar. “He is threatened with the death penalty or life imprisonment.”
Adityajaya said a preliminary investigation showed that the Australian had ordered a motorcycle taxi driver through the Grab online service on May 21, to pick up two packages at a post office in Denpasar.
The driver was told to hand the two packages to a motorcycle taxi driver from another online service, who was ordered to deliver them to Ahchee's rented house, Adityajaya said.
Adityajaya said the suspect told authorities during a police interrogation that he was asked by someone he referred to as “Boss,” to take the package and distribute it in Bali. He was promised 50 million rupiah ($3,000) for handling the cocaine.
Police on Monday presented the accused at the news conference. He was wearing an orange detainee jumpsuit and a buff mask, with his hands handcuffed. The man did not make a statement.
One of his lawyers, Edward Pangkahila, said his team would accompany his client during the police questioning “to see the progress of the investigation.”
“He is not the owner of the cocaine, he is just a user,” Pangkahila said, “The police must be able to chase and arrest the person who is acting as his boss, to reveal this case fairly.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
Denpasar District Court on Tuesday is scheduled to read out a verdict against Thomas Parker, a British national who was arrested on Jan. 21, after he allegedly collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver.
Indonesian authorities arrested an Argentinian woman and a British man in March for allegedly smuggling 324 grams (0.7 pounds) of cocaine on the tourist island of Bali.
About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections’ data showed. Indonesia’s last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
In a story published May. 27, 2025, about the arrest of an Australian man for allegedly smuggling cocaine to Bali, The Associated Press erroneously quoted lawyer Edward Pangkahila saying his client was a dealer rather than a user.
An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands escorted during a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine is escorted to a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
An Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands after escorted to a news conference at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Authorities hold a news conference as an Australian man, second left in the background, arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine stands at the police headquarters in Bali, Indonesia, Monday, May 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.
The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.
“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”
The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.
The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.
"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.
The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.
Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.
State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”
The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.
It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
