A New Zealander facing the death penalty in Indonesia will claim he is the victim of an international drug cartel in court.

Tony de Malmanche, 52, was arrested last month at Denpasar International Airport, accused of attempting to smuggle 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country.

The New Zealand Herald reports his legal team will claim he was a trafficked person, not a smuggler.

They claim he was used by the cartel, which had him fly all the way to Hong Kong under the guise of meeting a woman, before sending him to Bali with a pre-bought bag - which contained the drugs.