Model says she was kept behind bars in Bali for prescription meds

Tori Ann Lyla Hunter, 25, shared photos she claims were from her Indonesian jail cell. Photo / Supplied

An Australian model who was thrown behind bars in Bali and asked to cough up over NZ$40,000 after airport officers found "drugs" in her luggage said she was "treated like a dog".

Tori Ann Lyla Hunter, 25, has spoken about her terrifying experience after arriving in Bali on August 6.

The Adelaide mum claimed she was travelling with prescription medication when she was stopped by customs at Denpasar airport, strip searched and detained for further questioning by officials.

"I spent four days locked up but was facing five years in a Balinese jail," Hunter said on Instagram of her experience.

"Instead they extorted me for $39,482 [NZ$41,754]. They targeted me because of my social media status as a model and influencer."

Hunter, who has almost 120,000 followers on Instagram, said she was detained for four days for bringing "prescription medication into the country".

"They strip searched me. It made me feel very uncomfortable," she told A Current Affair.

Hunter uploaded an image of her passport before she was detained. Photo / Sipplied, Facebook

"It's not as if I'm Schapelle Corby or anything, it was prescription medication. They treated me like a dog.

"I wanted to let my hair down but instead I got locked up."

Hunter said she had a doctor's note for the medication, which she used to treat anxiety and ADHD, but admitted she was carrying more than she needed for the six-day trip.

The medication included dexamphetamine and valium.

After contacting the Australian Consulate, Hunter's grandfather Kevin contacted a lawyer who demanded $US25,000 ($A37,000) in "legal fees" to have his granddaughter released.

"He told me that Tori was looking at five years jail and she would be released if I sent the sum the next day," Kevin told A Current Affair.

"I was instructed not to go to the media and keep it to myself."

Hunter spent four days in a Bali cell before she was freed and allowed to return home to Adelaide.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Hunter pay back her grandparents.

The Department of Foreign Affairs told A Current Affair it would investigate allegations of inappropriate conduct raised against the law firm Kevin contacted.

Last week, Hunter said on Instagram she felt targeted because of her work as an influencer on the platform.

The model said she believed her social media status alerted her to authorities. Photo / Supplied

"I was personally targeted because of my social media status as a model," she wrote. "These people weren't just 'doing their job', they assumed I'm loaded and then came up with a list that states my medications as a class A drug there," she said.

"After speaking with the Australian embassy we found out there is no such list.

"I wouldn't wish what I've been through the past week upon my worst enemy. I served 4 days in captivity but was facing up to 5 years in a Balinese prison."

Hunter claims she was detained for carrying prescription medication. Photo / Supplied

According to consumer watchdog Choice, some Australian prescription medications (including strong painkillers such as morphine and codeine, sleeping pills and medications for ADHD) are considered illegal narcotics under Indonesian law.

Other medications such as paracetamol, antidiarrhoeals and antibiotics shouldn't pose a problem for travellers, however the advice is to check with the Indonesian embassy before arriving in the country.