NZ woman linked to Bali nine bailed on drugs charges

BRISBANE - A 21-year-old New Zealand woman appeared in a court in Brisbane today accused of serious drug offences. Atoalii Partsch was one of a number of people arrested yesterday in raids linked to the Bali Nine who are accused of attempting to smuggle heroin from Bali to Australia.

Partsch, unemployed, whose address was given as Deception Bay, northern Brisbane, is charged with conspiracy to import heroin.

Also arrested yesterday were Alice Yun Hsuan Yang, 19, part-time receptionist and university student, of Stretton, southern Brisbane, and Francis Lee, 21, of Stafford Heights in north Brisbane, who faced charges of importing a prohibited import, and conspiracy to import a prohibited import.

They were all bailed by Brisbane Magistrates Court to reappear in the same court on June 3.

All three were ordered to report regularly to police and not to attempt to leave the country.

Partsch left alone through a back entrance of the court.

Family members of Yang and Lee were in court and escorted them past waiting media.

Another one of the people arrested in yesterday's raids was refused bail when he appeared in a Sydney court today.

Khanh Thanh Ly, 24, of Lidcombe, faced Parramatta Bail Court charged with conspiracy to import heroin into Australia between August 2004 and April this year.

The Parramatta court was told there was a strong prosecution case against Ly, including evidence of money transfers, airline tickets and phone numbers linking him to the drug ring.

"There is a strong prosecution case linking the accused with the co-accused in Bali," the police prosecutor told the court.

Ly was refused bail and will appear in Sydney Central Local Court on Monday.

Last month, nine Australians were arrested in Bali accused of trying to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin into Australia.

Five of the nine were arrested at Bali's Denpasar airport - four allegedly with packets of the drug strapped to their bodies.

Four other Australians were arrested during a subsequent raid on a Kuta hotel.

All nine face a possible death sentence if convicted.

- AAP