Aussie facing death in Bali

Cannabis Eye

A 50-YEAR-OLD executive from Melbourne could face the death penalty in Bali after prosecutors decided to charge him with trafficking marijuana and hashish. Barry Hess, a former Ansett executive and general manager of Bali’s collapsed airline Air Paradise, was arrested last month after police allegedly found 14.4 grams of hashish and 2.7 grams of marijuana in his Kuta home.

Initially police charged Hess with drug possession, which carries a 10-year sentence. They claimed Hess admitted buying the drugs for personal use, and said a urine test detected the presence of drugs in his system. At the opening of his court hearing yesterday, prosecutors announced they were also charging Hess with intending to sell the drugs, upgrading his possible penalty to execution.

They also included several alternative charges, the most lenient that of being a drug addict who had not reported to authorities. Such an offence is punishable by a maximum of six months’ jail. Prosecutors will nominate at the end of the trial what charge and penalty they believe is most appropriate, but the judges are not bound by their recommendations. The case will continue next week.