DENPASAR, May 13 — An Australian man faces up to 20 years in prison on the resort island of Bali and a fine of 10 billion rupiah (RM2.95 million) for allegedly attempting to sell crystal meth, police said Monday.

Indonesian police said the 49-year-old suspect — named by his initials TAS and identified by Australian media as Troy Smith — was arrested on April 30 at his hotel on the popular tourist island.

He was allegedly found with 3.19 grams of crystal methamphetamine and his wife, a foreign national only identified by her initials TIM, was also held but found not to be involved.

Smith was charged with a "drug transaction”, which means offering to sell or become a broker of narcotics, Ponco Indriyo, Bali police deputy director of drugs investigation told a news conference.

The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of 10 billion rupiah.

Smith was also charged with drug possession, which carries a lower maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of 8 billion rupiah.

Authorities made him take a urine test which came back positive for meth, the police official said.

The suspect had received a package carrying the meth sent by a friend in Australia, Indriyo said.

A Bali police press statement said the package contained "one Colgate toothpaste tube containing 3.15 grams of alleged crystal meth”.

Smith did not appear at the press conference but authorities in Indonesia typically parade drug suspects to the media.

But there was no evidence his wife TIM — named as Tracy Ijusa in Australian media reports — was involved, Indriyo said.

Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws including the death penalty for traffickers.

There are dozens of traffickers on death row in Indonesia, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother and a Philippine woman accused of smuggling heroin. — AFP