A British man accused of smuggling cocaine into Indonesia has been pictured grinning as he and two fellow UK suspects were paraded in front of local media.
Two of the suspects, a man, 32, and his girlfriend, 35, were reportedly caught carrying packs of the hard drug through the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, on February 1.
Officers halted them at the X-ray machine after finding ‘suspicious’ items in their suitcases.
They were pulled to a separate area, where staff found the narcotics sealed in blue plastic packages labelled ‘Angel Delight’ in the man’s luggage. More cocaine was found in seven plastic bags in his partner’s suitcase.
Police said they seized 994.56 grammes of cocaine worth an estimated six billion IDR (around £296,000).
A third British suspect, 35, was later detained as part of the investigation. He had reportedly been due to meet the couple to collect the drugs.
The trio, along with other arrested drug suspects, were paraded in front of local media today.
The blonde-haired Briton was seen chuckling and smiling despite facing decades in prison while he was paraded alongside the other detainees during the press conference.
His alleged accomplice with dark hair and the woman both remained sombre.
A British man accused of smuggling cocaine into Indonesia has been pictured grinning as him and two others were paraded in front of local media
The trio, along with other arrested drug suspects, were paraded in front of local media today, February 7
Two of the suspects, a man, 32, and his girlfriend, 35, were reportedly caught carrying packs of the hard drug through the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, on February 1
AKBP Ponco Indriyo, Bali Police Deputy Director of Drug Investigation, said: ‘The drugs carried by the couple were cocaine weighing 994.56 grams.
‘The drugs were brought from England via the Doha International Airport in Qatar, then to Indonesia.
‘The method of concealment is to put the drugs, packed in food packaging, in a suitcase. The drugs were to be sold on Bali island, but were intercepted by customs and police officers.’
The police boss added that one of the the suspects was involved in two other suspected drug trafficking cases. He declined to give further details citing ongoing investigations.
The Brits are facing up to 20 years in prison under Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics, local media reported.
They were among 149 drug suspects arrested by Bali police during ‘Operation Antik Agung-2025’ in the past 16 days.
Authorities said 9.5 billion IDR of drugs, including 1.5 kg of crystal methamphetamine, 5.4 kg of marijuana, 540 ecstasy pills, and 994.56 grams of cocaine, were confiscated.
One of the Britons arrested on drug trafficking charges was seen chuckling and smiling – despite facing decades in prison
But the second male British suspect appeared sombre as he was led through the media crowd
Some attendees at the media conference side-eyed the laughing Brit, seemingly flabbergasted why he would be smiling when he is facing decades in prison over the drug charges
The British woman looked to the ground as he was paraded in front of the media
Indonesia has some of the strictest drug laws in the world.
Drug traffickers, especially those caught with large quantities, may face execution by firing squad. If the quantity is large but not enough for the death penalty, life in prison is a common sentence.
Even possession can result in lengthy prison terms.
One Briton imprisoned over drug charges is grandmother Lindsay Sandiford, who has been living life as the ‘Queen’ of the Bali prison where she has been on death row for more than a decade.
Sandiford, 67, enjoys special benefits including medium-rare steak dinners and leading knitting circles to her fellow inmates, who have dubbed her ‘The Queen of Kerobokan Prison’ in Indonesia.
She has been imprisoned since 2013 for trying to smuggle £1.6million worth of cocaine into Indonesia in her suitcase.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
