Aussie drug smuggling accused swaps life of luxury for a Bali jail cell – as his family descend on the island and with a high-powered ‘fixer’ known as the ‘prison whisperer’

The family of an Australian man facing the death penalty in Bali accused of smuggling cocaine onto the holiday island has enlisted the help of a high-powered ‘fixer’.  

Business manager Lamar Ahchee, 43, originally from Cairns, was arrested last week accused of receiving two drug deliveries from the UK while living on the Indonesian island.

The cocaine was allegedly concealed inside two gold Lindt chocolate boxes, each containing 54 individual packets of the drug, with 8.3 grams wrapped inside each.

The son of a retired Queensland senior constable, Ahchee is understood to have lived Bali for at least six years after moving from Cairns to Sydney, where he lived a life of luxury in the ritzy eastern suburbs. 

On Monday morning, Ahchee’s mother and sister broke cover in Bali shortly after he was escorted by police in handcuffs to Bali police headquarters, where he met with Australian consulate officials.

The family were later joined by a high-profile ‘fixer’ who worked to help free Schapelle Corby from jail.

‘Prison whisperer’ and former police officer John McLeod runs consultancy firm Tora Solutions, which helps Australians in legal troubles overseas. 

He previously helped get Corby out of Bali’s notorious Kerobokan jail, where Ahchee could spend a lot of time if convicted. 

Mr McLeod also assisted with the release of Aussie academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert from Iran in 2021. 

Outside the police headquarters, Mr McLeod described the situation as very confronting and distressing for Ahchee’s family and didn’t provide further comment. 

Ahchee’s family remained silent.

Earlier, Ahchee was taken from custody to police headquarters to speak with consulate officials. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and a black ski mask.

Ahchee faces a death sentence after Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya alleged the drugs arrived in Indonesia on May 12.

When the packages arrived at the Renon Main Post Office, customs officers at Ngurah Rai Airport scanned them using X-ray equipment and suspected they contained narcotics.

Customs officers then worked with the Bali Regional Police Narcotics Directorate to conduct a controlled delivery as part of their ongoing investigation.

Investigators allege the first package came from the Essex village of Runwell, east of London, and was addressed to ‘Alex and Julie’ in Kuta Utara, near Canggu.

The second was allegedly sent from Braintree, 35km north of Runwell, to ‘Dave Jones’ in the same Balinese region.

The following day, police allege Ahchee asked a driver to collect the packages from the post office.

They met at a restaurant on May 22, and the Australian businessman allegedly took the packages back to Canggu.

Ahchee was then arrested by the Bali drug squad and allegedly suffered several injuries while resisting arrest.

Police allegedly seized 1.8kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $1.1million

The quantity is enough is enough to warrant the death penalty under Indonesian law

Police allege he received 50m Indonesian rupiah, about A$4700, to receive and distribute the drugs.

Ahchee grew up playing soccer in Cairns but moved to Sydney’s well-heeled east, living in a $1.5million unit in Bellevue Hill and working as VIP manager at Marquee and later Casablanca nightclubs.

He had moved to Bali by 2019, where his online professional profiles reveal he worked as the director and co-founder of technology groups.

Previously, he had worked for marketing companies with strong ties to the nightlife scene in both Sydney and Bali.

In 2015, he was the director of marketing and events at Sydney Seadeck, a $5 million party boat popular among glamorous Sydney socialites and organised crime figures.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he also co-founded Behind the Rope.

It was an invitation-only ‘private lifestyle platform for high achievers, affluent in-demand individuals, influencers and high profile personalities in business, politics, culture, entertainment and sport’.

The firm added: ‘BTR takes immense pride in extending our service to only a select few, which ensures that we come to know members not just by name, but also by their distinct personality, preferences, likes and tastes.’

There is no record of Behind the Rope in ASIC. 

He would later work for Omnia beachclub a popular club in Uluwatu for two years before finding hospitality work in Canggu at Brick Lane.

He stepped down as the general manager of Canggu restaurant Brick Lane Bali last November after eight months in the role.

‘As I step away from general manager at Brick Lane to embark on new adventures, I want to take a moment to reflect on this incredible journey,’ he wrote on Facebook at the time.

‘From a slab of concrete to conceptualising a new vision, redesigning, and eventually transforming this space into a true spaceship, it’s been a ride that I will always be proud of.

‘It has been an honour to be part of something so transformative, and I am truly proud of all that we’ve accomplished together.

‘Thank you to the incredible team I had the privilege of building at Brick Lane – your dedication and hard work made all the difference.’

Resurfaced social media photographs show Ahchee smiling alongside buxom  Bachelor contestant turned Bali influencer Kiki Morris.

Morris rose to fame on the Richie Strahan season of The Bachelor in 2016, and returned to the franchise on Bachelor in Paradise in 2020. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is offering consular assistance to an Australian in Bali.

One of Ahchee’s lawyers told reporters last week his client was ‘very upset and stressed’ at the prospect he could face the death penalty if he is found guilty.

He called on police to track down the person who allegedly set up his client.

Another of his lawyers Sieny Karmana said that he was ‘okay’ behind bars despite being shocked about the possibility of the death penalty.

‘The family knows now that he is in Bali police headquarters and about the situation that happened to him,’ Ms Karmana said.

Ms Karmana denied Ahchee was a drug dealer, but said he was a drug user.

‘There is no statement that he is a drug dealer, but he is a user,’ she said.

Ahchee’s arrest comes five months after the remaining members of the Bali Nine returned to Australia following their conviction for smuggling heroin in 2005. 

Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj flew back to Australia on a Jetstar commercial flight in December last year.

The Aussies were arrested alongside Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Renae Lawrence in Bali in April 2005.

Ringleaders Chan and Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in April 2015.

Stephens’ former cellmate Nguyen died in a Jakarta hospital in 2018 following a battle with cancer.

Lawrence, who was the only member not to get a death sentence or life behind bars, was released in 2018 after her sentence was reduced to 20 years on appeal.

The group attempted to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin strapped to their bodies from the holiday island.