SYDNEY MAN FACES EAST TIMOR DRUG CHARGES

A Sydney carpenter faces drug dealing charges in East Timor after he
was arrested by United Nations police yesterday.

The 44-year-old man could become the first foreigner brought before a
court for drug offences by the United Nations Transitional Authority
in East Timor (UNTAET) which administers the newly independent nation.

The Australian consular staff in Dili had offered to assist the man, a
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokeswoman said.

"He was arrested yesterday on suspicion of dealing in a controlled
substance," the spokeswoman said.

"He was being interviewed by the prosecution judge to determine
whether he should be charged."

The spokeswoman could not say under what criminal code the charges
could be laid.

Nor could she say what country could jail the man if he were
convicted.

The allegations are understood to relate to marijuana.