Michael Blanc

Michaël Loïc Blanc (born 1974) is a French chef who was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia after 3.8 kilograms of hashish was found in his diving gear when he attempted to re-enter Bali, Indonesia, in December 1999.

Sentenced to life imprisonment, he served 14 years in Cipinang prison, Jakarta. His case, which has been compared to imprisoned Australian tourist Schapelle Corby, received media coverage by both the French and Indonesian press, and was featured on prime time news shows Sept à huit and Tout le monde en parle in France.

Early life and arrest The youngest of three children, Michael Blanc was born in 1974 to Jean-Claude Blanc and Hélène Le Touzey in Bonneville in the department of Haute-Savoie in southeastern France. Leaving France in 1993, Blanc travelled to Senegal in West Africa and later spent time in the Caribbean, Greece, India, Malaysia and Thailand working at various times as a chef and interior decorator during the 1990s. His sentence was reduced to 20 years in 2008.

Release and parole On 20 January 2014 Blanc was freed and paroled from the prison but stayed in Indonesia until his final release date of 21 July 2018, as stipulated in his parole agreement. He subsequently returned to France.