Pubdate: Tue, 23 Aug 2005
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 The Sydney Morning Herald
Contact:  http://www.smh.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/441
Author: Mark Forbes, and Samantha Selinger-Morris
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

BALI ECSTASY TO AGONY: ARRESTED MODEL FACES 15 YEARS

Michelle Leslie, the Sydney model Bali police say they caught with two
ecstasy tablets on her way to a dance party, could be jailed for up to
15 years if convicted.

The 24-year-old, who also uses the surname Lee, was arrested on
Saturday but has refused to answer police questions, spending much of
her time in tears.

An intelligence officer with the Bali drug squad, Major Mardiaz Kusin,
said police had searched a car Leslie and two of her friends were in,
outside a party at Bali's GWK Park - the site of the first anniversary
commemoration of the Bali bombings.

Police said they found in her Gucci bag two pink tablets wrapped in
tissue paper, which they displayed at a media conference yesterday.

Major Kusin said one of Leslie's friends had asked her what she had,
and Leslie replied that two friends had given them to her. He said
Leslie told her friend she did not know what the drugs were.

But a police information sheet handed out to media said that Leslie
bought the pills in a local street for $20 each.

Major Kusin said Leslie's car was the subject of a routine random
search. Four Indonesians had also been arrested with ecstasy pills. He
denied foreigners were being targeted over drug use in Bali. But he
added "we apply selective priority because we have limited police officers".

Leslie's father, Albert, told Channel Ten he was in shock and that his
daughter's predicament was out of character. Her picture appeared on
the front-page of the Herald in June as an example of the perfect face.

Alex Zabotto-Bentley, who was a fashion stylist on Channel Ten's
Search for a Supermodel, in which Leslie competed in 2000, was also
shocked by the arrest.

"I seriously could not believe it. It's like some horrible, disgusting
misunderstanding. She was just a gorgeous girl, really innocent,
special and sweet."

Rob Peile, editor and associate producer of Search for a Supermodel,
agreed

"I remember her being a sweet, lovely woman."

Outdoor raves are a new trend in Bali's lively nightlife and are
popular with wealthy locals and tourists. However, drug use, largely
ecstasy and marijuana, is common, and police said dealers were known
to operate in the car park outside GWK Park.

Major Kusin said police intelligence had suggested there would be many
drugs at the all-night party, and many had escaped arrest because few
cars were searched.

Indonesian police are in the midst of a highly publicised anti-drugs
campaign, in which they have raided clubs and forced urine tests.
Leslie had been given a urine test, which had not shown any drugs,
Major Kusin said. The tablets are still being tested.

The charge laid against her, possessing psychotropic drugs, carries a
minimum term of four years and a maximum of 15, although the final
sentence is at the judge's discretion and could amount to just months.

Leslie arrived in Bali six days ago for a holiday with a group of
friends from Singapore. Her arrest follows Schapelle Corby's 20-year
conviction for marijuana smuggling and the arrest of nine Australians
for trying to smuggle heroin from Bali.

Police arrested a second Australian at the weekend for possessing a
small amount of crystal methamphetamine. Police allege they found
thousand of pills in the house of Graham Payne, 21, a teacher working
in Sumatra, although most were commonly available medicines.

If convicted he faces a maximum of nine years' jail.

The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, said Leslie's arrest should
serve as a warning to Australians travelling overseas. "People should
understand that if you are going anywhere in Asia you should never
have drugs with you - the consequences can be quite dire."

Leslie has been a model for Myer and Antz Pantz underwear.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin