Trial opens in Bali for US man charged with receiving illegal ADHD pills

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — A man charged with importing drugs to Indonesia faces up to 15 years in prison under the country’s tough drug laws in a trial that began Tuesday on the tourist island of Bali.

William Wallace Molyneaux V, a U.S. citizen, was arrested May 23 after he allegedly collected a package containing illegal drugs at a post office near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot.

Prosecutor I Made Dipa Umbara said the arrest followed a tip that Molyneaux received a suspicious package by mail from London. Bali’s Narcotic Agency seized the package and investigators reported they found 99 Adderall pills in seven silver medicine boxes containing 1.86 grams of amphetamine.

The 27-year-old resident of Brooksville, Florida, told authorities that he was addicted to amphetamines because he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

Molyneaux told authorities he bought Adderall online from the dark web and paid the equivalent of $250 in Monero, a cryptocurrency, while on vacation in Bali, Umbara said.

“ADHD medications, such as Adderall, consist of amphetamines and are therefore illegal in Indonesia, no exceptions,” Umbara told the Denpasar District Court.

Molyneaux faces multiple charges including importing drugs, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine up to 10 billion rupiah ($609,980).

A court document showed Molyneaux was transferred from a detention center to a rehabilitation center in Bali on July 9 after Molyneaux’s U.S. doctor provided a written statement saying he suffers ADHD and needs treatment.

The panel of three judges adjourned the trial until Aug. 12, when the court will hear witness testimony.

Indonesia’s strict drug laws include possible execution by a firing squad for convicted traffickers.

About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, according to Ministry of Immigration and Corrections data. Indonesia’s most recent executions of an Indonesian citizen and three foreigners were carried out in July 2016.