NZ pair arrested in India may face 10 years in jail

New Zealanders Allan Bruce Mills and Peta Sim Clair were allegedly caught carrying almost 100 grams of cannabis. File photo / Northern Advocate

Two New Zealanders could be facing ten years in an Indian jail after being caught with cannabis.

Police arrested the pair in Bhuntar, an area known widely for extensive marijuana cultivation.

Allan Bruce Mills and his girlfriend Peta Sim Clair are said to have been carrying almost 100 grams - about three and a half ounces - of the drug between them.

India has very strict drug laws.

Anyone charged with illegal possession risks a mandatory ten-year jail sentence, and under Indian law, those charged are considered guilty until proven innocent.

Police say they have been in contact with the New Zealand Embassy in New Delhi in relation to the arrests.

A Foreign Affairs spokesman told Newstalk ZB the ministry here hopes to have a clearer idea of what is going on later today.

- NEWSTALK ZB