A West Cumbrian man accused of drugs crimes in Bali has appeared in court again.
Thomas Parker, 32, was arrested after police said they recovered 1kg of MDMA – the main ingredient of ecstasy – in a mail package.
He was arrested at an AirBnB on January 21 and police said he was allegedly collecting the package and two mobile phones.
While it was initially believed he could face the death penalty if he was found guilty of drug trafficking, Cumbria Crack understands that charge was dropped after police investigators determined the package was not directly linked to him.
On May 6, prosecutors asked for a 12-month sentence to be handed to Parker.
He told the court today that he did not know the package contained drugs and apologised.
It is understood that Parker grew up in Seaton, near Workington, and was known as Matthew.
It is believed he was a pupil at the then Stainburn School, studied at Lakes College, Lillyhall, to become an electrician and emigrated to Australia.
Police said they noticed him acting suspiciously while collecting a package from a motorcycle taxi driver and when they approached him, he fled, discarding the package.
He was traced to a villa, where he was arrested.
He remains in custody. The trial will resume on May 27 for sentence.
