Judge Reduces Sentence For Expat Who Possessed Marijuana For Medical Purposes

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The Judge of the Denpasar District Attorney has reduced the sentence for an American national who had possessed marijuana for medical purposes.

Judge Rustanto decided to reduce the sentence for a defendant that was previously arrested for possessing marijuana that he ordered from the United States through the post office. Due to his medical reason, the American national, identified as Joshua Chayne Emery (aged 46), received a lighter sentence.

The prosecutor, who demanded six years of imprisonment, must accept the judge’s decision to reduce the sentence to only 4 years of imprisonment and USD $140,000 (IDR 2 billion) in fines.

Prior to the arrest, Joshua had purchased a package of marijuana from the United States through the Dark Web and paid it with Bitcoin that was valued at around USD $1,000 (IDR 14 million).

After getting notified by the Bali Post Office that his package had arrived on May 7^th 2021, Joshua immediately went to the location to claim his package. Once he received the package, the police officers, who had been waiting for him at the parking area, detained him and confiscated the 445 grams of marijuana that he had just received.

Joshua’s lawyer, I Made Suardika Adnyana, explained that his client had bought the package for medical purposes. Taking it may prevent a possible complication caused by his current physical condition.

“Joshua only has one kidney left, so a complication might occur if he took regular medications from the doctor. Besides, he has been consuming this substance long before he traveled from the United States,” Suardika concluded on Thursday (9/12).