Police have told of how they lured a former war correspondent to a bar in Bali in a sting operation after an Australian man claimed he obtained his hashish from him.
Australian Guiseppe "Joe" Serafino and David Fox, a former bureau chief of Reuters news agency in Jakarta, were arrested in Sanur last October for allegedly possessing 7.32 grams and 9.83 grams of hashish respectively.
Police officer Kadek Widiana said Mr Serafino, 48, told them he had obtained his hashish from Mr Fox when seven police officers raided his home in Sanur on October 8.
A community informant had told police that Mr Serafino used shabu shabu (ice) but instead they found hashish, which Mr Serafino apparently smoked like a cigarette, inside a black suitcase,
"Guiseppe claimed he got his hashish from Fox," Mr Kadek told the Denpasar District Court. "We then used Guiseppe's phone to lure Fox. Fox said he had a small amount of hashish and agreed to meet us at the bar."
Mr Fox arrived at On On bar in Sanur where he was arrested by police. "Fox took out the hashish from his own pocket," Mr Kadek said. "He also said he still had some hashish back home. It wasn't for sale, he wasn't selling the hashish."
The police officer said Mr Fox had told them he used hashish because of trauma experienced when he was a war journalist.
Mr Fox, a 55-year-old British national from Zimbabwe, stressed to the court that he had not been Mr Serafino's supplier. He said Mr Serafino had the same dealer as he did - a man named "Gordon" - but had repeatedly begged Mr Fox for hashish, complaining of a sore back.
"First I would like to apologise for the problems I have caused," Mr Fox said. "One clarification: I never supplied Guiseppe."
The police officer said Mr Serafino had never claimed that Mr Fox was his supplier but that he could reach the dealer through Mr Fox.
Mr Serafino, who is understood to be concerned about his security behind bars at Kerobokan jail, told the court he had not mentioned the name "Fox". "It was my friend," he said.
Both men face a charge of possessing category one narcotics, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years' jail, or the lesser charge of possessing narcotics for personal use, which carries a maximum sentence of four years' jail.
Mr Fox worked for Reuters for years, covering conflicts including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor and Kosovo, natural disasters in Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the Zaire refugee crisis.
The court heard earlier this month that he had started using hashish 30 years ago after being so traumatised by his experiences covering wars that he couldn't sleep.
According to court documents Mr Serafino, who was originally from Western Australia, had begun using hashish about nine years ago in Australia after learning about it on the internet.
"He used it with the intention of relieving back pain caused by a cyst in his kidney and to increase his appetite," the indictment said.
It said Mr Serafino preferred to use hashish rather than medication prescribed by his doctor because it caused an emotional imbalance.
"After consuming hashish, his back pain reduces, he can sleep well and his appetite increases."
Police officer Komang Budi Utama said Mr Serafino was not dealing drugs. He had denied ownership of a water pipe.
The judge noted that Mr Serafino and Mr Fox had been arrested on the same day. For "security reasons" he decided to hold their trials on separate days in the future.
