14-year-old Australian arrested in Bali

The boy was arrested on Tuesday, allegedly in possession of a small amount of marijuana.


He could face a lengthy jail term if convicted of possession charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in jail.


The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said consular officials had been in contact with the boy and his family.


"An Australian teenager from NSW was detained in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday 4 October 2011 after he was found with a small quantity of drugs," the spokesperson said.


Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has told DFAT to the make the matter a top priority.


"(Mr) Rudd has directed that the Australian Ambassador in Jakarta and the Consul General in Bali make this their top priority and undertake all efforts to resolve the matter quickly and seek the early release of the boy."


Police then detained him after he left the place where he received the massage.


Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has instructed consular officials in Indonesia to make the case their top priority.


Mr Rudd has directed the Australian Ambassador in Jakarta and the Consul General in Bali to "undertake all efforts to resolve the matter quickly and seek the early release of the boy", a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said on Thursday afternoon.


The boy was allegedly caught with 6.9 grams gross of marijuana or 3.6 grams net.


The DFAT spokesperson who confirmed the arrest said he had not yet been charged.


He is the youngest Australian to be arrested in Indonesia and could face a lengthy prison term if convicted of possession charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in jail.


However, as there is no juvenile court system in Indonesia, he would probably be placed in an adult prison if convicted.


It is the latest in a string of drug-related arrests in recent years of Australians in Bali.


Graeme Michael Pollock, from Darwin, was arrested last month with a small amount of methamphetamine. He is also yet to be charged.


A host of other Australians have been jailed for drug-related offences and are serving time in Bali's Kerobokan Prison, including the Bali Nine, the Gold Coast's Schapelle Corby and Sydney man Michael Sacatides.


Two other Australians, Ricky Rawson from Victoria and Melbourne man Angus McCaskill, were released from jail earlier this year after serving time in Kerobokan.