Indonesian authorities have arrested an Australian national on suspicion of smuggling cocaine to the island of Bali — a crime that could carry the death penalty, officials announced today.

The suspect, a 43-year-old man from Sydney, was taken into custody on Thursday, May 22, after police raided a rented home and seized 1.7 kilograms of cocaine along with a digital scale and a mobile phone, said Bali Police Chief Daniel Aditjajaja.

According to authorities, surveillance teams had flagged the man after he received two suspicious packages shipped from the United Kingdom. “He faces the death penalty or life imprisonment,” Aditjajaja told reporters at a press conference.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the man had used the Grab delivery service to instruct a courier to pick up the packages at a post office in Denpasar, the island’s capital. He then arranged for the packages to be delivered to a second courier who brought them to his rented house.

Police presented the suspect to the media, where he appeared with a black mask over his head and did not make any statements.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified Indonesia as a major hub for international drug trafficking, despite its extremely strict narcotics laws. Authorities say global cartels often target the country’s large and youthful population.

Currently, around 530 individuals are on death row in Indonesia, including 96 foreign nationals. The last execution took place in July 2016, when one Indonesian and three foreign citizens were put to death.