An Australian boxing trainer has been deported to Sydney from Bali, nearly 16 years after his arrest for smuggling methamphetamine. Michael Sacatides, 59, was released from the Denpasar Immigration Detention Centre and departed for Australia on Friday night.
Sacatides was apprehended by customs officers at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on October 1, 2010, following his arrival on an AirAsia flight from Bangkok. He had been working as a boxing trainer in Thailand and managing a business there at the time of his arrest. Officers discovered approximately 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed within a secret compartment in his suitcase.
During his trial at the Denpasar District Court, Sacatides maintained his innocence, denying any knowledge of the drugs and stating the bag belonged to an acquaintance from Bangkok. However, judges found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 years imprisonment. He was held in several Bali correctional facilities, including Kerobokan, Karangasem, and Bangli Narcotics prison.
After serving more than a decade, Sacatides' sentence was reduced by a total of 37 months and 30 days, leading to his parole in 2023. The terms of his parole required him to remain in Indonesia under the supervision of a correctional center in Denpasar until August 19, 2026. His passport had expired, necessitating his continued stay in temporary detention until arrangements could be made for his departure.
Sacatides was transferred to the Immigration center in Denpasar on August 24 while Balinese officials liaised with the Australian consulate general. Following an additional two weeks in detention, he was released and placed on a supervised flight to Sydney. Denpasar Immigration Detention Centre head Teguh Mentalyadi stated that the case reinforces Indonesia's zero-tolerance policy for foreign nationals involved in criminal offenses, particularly those related to narcotics. Sacatides may face a lifetime ban from re-entering Indonesian territory.