An Australian tourist was sentenced to six months in rehab for having crystal methamphetamine smuggled to him during his honeymoon on the Southeast Asian resort island of Bali.
Troy Andrew Smith was initially charged with drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty in Indonesia, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
But that charge was dismissed after police determined Smith wasn't a dealer and he was convicted of drug possession after testifying he'd ordered the meth from a man in Australia three weeks before his April 30 arrest.
Smith, a 49-year-old accountant from Port Lincoln, also apologized and said he'd used meth daily since 2020 to reduce depression and anxiety.
"The defendant did commit a criminal offense of misuse class I narcotics for personal use," Presiding Judge Ketut Suarta said during his sentencing in Denpasar, Indonesia. "What he has done is counter the government's efforts to fight drug trafficking."
Indonesia has strict drug laws under under which convicted traffickers can be executed by a firing squad.
Eighteen people have been executed for drug crimes since 2014 and more than 150 people are on the country's death row, mostly for drug convictions.
About a third of the inmates awaiting execution are foreigners.
Smith, who works as an accountant, was arrested after authorities got a tip that he received a suspicious package containing toothpaste from Australia.
Police raided his hotel room in Legian, a popular tourist destination near Kuta Beach, and found more than 3 grams of crystal meth in a toothpaste container.
A search of the room turned up another 0.4 grams of the drug, along with a bong and a lighter in a desk drawer.
Following his sentencing, Smith thanked his lawyers, mother and sister while speaking to reporters.
"Thank you to Tracy, whose love I lay down every single day," he added, referring to his new wife.
Smith's sentence includes credit for time served since his arrest.
