BALI DRUG GIRL FACES DEATH CALL

BALI police will charge Australian student Schapelle Corby with drug
smuggling under legislation that carries the death penalty.

Ms Corby, 27, has repeatedly denied the 4.1kg of high quality marijuana
found in her luggage three weeks ago at Bali's international airport
belonged to her, claiming it was planted there.

The beauty therapy student is held in a tiny cell in the Denpassar Police
Headquarters lock-up.

Yesterday, one of her legal team said Ms Corby cried frequently when they
visited her, saying, "I don't know why this is happening to me, I can't
understand why it is happening".

Bali's chief narcotics detective, Lt Col. Bambang Sugiarto, confirmed
yesterday that police would recommend Ms Corby face one of Indonesia's
tough anti-drug laws that carries the maximum death penalty or life
imprisonment or 20 years' jail for intentionally importing drugs to sell.

Col. Sugiarto said police had statements from nine witnesses, including
from Ms Corby's two friends and younger brother, with whom she travelled to
Bali.

The dossier would be handed to prosecutors, who have 14 days to view the
file and can return it to police for any revision, which would take a
further 14 days.

Police have no evidence of fingerprints on the vacuum-sealed plastic bag in
which the drugs were held because too many hands had touched the bag.

The marijuana was found in Ms Corby's unlocked body-board bag, nestled
alongside a yellow body board.

The only other contents of the bag was a pair of flippers.

Blood and urine tests on Ms Corby to determine if she had any drugs in her
system showed she was not a "user".

The trial is expected to begin within months.