Indonesia foils drug smuggling bound for Bali

The suspects face charges under Indonesia’s 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries penalties of up to life imprisonment or death.

Tangerang (ANTARA) - Indonesian customs officials seized 18,585 grams of marijuana and hashish in two smuggling cases linked to Bali and arrested several foreign nationals suspected of involvement in an international narcotics network.

The Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs and Excise Office uncovered the cases at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, between March and June 2026.

The first case involved a shipment from the United States to Bali intercepted on March 26. Authorities are still investigating the sender, recipient and suspected network.

“The shipment was declared as luggage. Inspection revealed 10,785 grams of marijuana,” customs chief Hengky Tomuan Parlindungan Aritonang said on Wednesday.

The second case involved Russian citizen KK, 52, who arrived from Bangkok on a Thai Lion Air flight on June 3.

Authorities alleged KK acted as a courier for 7,800 grams of hashish, or tetrahydrocannabinol, concealed in a false compartment inside a suitcase.

Initial investigations indicated the hashish was destined for Bali and intended for a foreign national who had lived there for an extended period.

Related news: Bali's Denpasar court tries Russian citizen for marijuana cultivation

“The marijuana and hashish shipments were both intended for foreign nationals in Bali. We are investigating whether the cases are connected,” Aritonang said.

The suspects face charges under Indonesia’s 2009 Narcotics Law, which carries penalties of up to life imprisonment or death.

Customs authorities have transferred the suspect and evidence to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and airport police for further investigation.

BNN Interdiction Director Tery Zakiar Muslim said the hashish case was suspected to be linked to an international drug trafficking network.

During follow-up operations, officers arrested a Russian citizen in Bangli, Bali, on June 5 and seized about 7.8 kilograms of narcotics.

“The arrest was possible because we monitored their plan. They avoided air transportation and security screening,” Muslim said.

Investigators later arrested another Russian citizen in Denpasar who is suspected of coordinating activities within the network.

Authorities have also placed a Russian national believed to be overseas on a wanted list for allegedly organizing the shipment.

BNN is continuing to investigate the distribution network, including whether the narcotics were intended to supply foreign nationals residing in Bali.

Related news: Ukrainian woman caught smuggling synthetic drugs into Bali

Translator: Arie Novarina

Editor: Rahmad Nasution

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