Aussie father-of-two, Troy Smith, has avoided 12 years in a Balinese prison and a $740,000 fine after a panel of judges sentenced him to six months in an Indonesian rehabilitation facility.
Smith, 49, was charged with drug trafficking and possession at a popular village in Legian, north of Kuta, on April 30 after local authorities discovered 3.5g of meth in a toothpaste container.
The man was originally facing life imprisonment, but authorities dropped a number of offences including trafficking charges after Bali’s National Narcotic Agency downgraded its assessment of the Australian, according to The Advertiser.
The judge presiding the case, Ketut Suarta, found Smith guilty of abusing drugs for his personal use, leading to the six months rehab sentence.
The 49-year-old spoke on his freedom outside Denpasar District Court on Thursday where he thanked his lawyer and family members.
“I want to say thank you to my lawyer Sakti,” he told the press.
“To my beautiful mum and sister, sorry and thank you and to Tracy, whose support and love I lean on every single day.”
Smith’s lawyer Ida Bagus Gumilang Galih Sakti commended the 49-year-old’s wife Tracy for her support throughout the duration of the trial.
“Tracy gave him support so he could be strong,” Mr Sakti said.
“(She didn’t come to court) just to make sure Troy only focused on his case. If Tracy appeared during the court with a lot of questions from outside, Troy couldn’t focus.”
The South Australian man was accused of smoking meth from a glad pipe about 4pm on April 29 before he was arrested the next day at 1pm.
His six month sentence has been reduced by the time he has already spent behind bars, according to Adelaide Now.
The 49-year-old struggled during his time in as he shared a cell with about a dozen others and was fed “nasi bungkus” which translates to “wrapped rice”.
The father-of-two had also been taken to hospital twice while in custody, with gout and knee pain causing one visit, and back pain believed to be sustained while attempting to flee police during his arrest was the reason for another trip.
He was transferred from prison to rehab after a forensic assessment into his medical condition.
Smith was facing charges issued under Article 114 and 127 of Indonesian Drugs Law.