Bali Police and Customs authorities have arrested an Australian citizen in connection with an international cocaine smuggling operation. The suspect, identified by the initials LLA (43), was detained at a villa in Tibubeneng Village, Badung Regency, Bali, on Thursday, 22 May 2025.
Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya, Chief of Bali Police, confirmed the arrest at a press conference held at the Bali Police Headquarters in Denpasar on Monday, 26 May.
“It is suspected that the evidence secured is around 1.8 kilograms distributed to foreign tourists,” he said, as reported by MetroNews.
The case came to light following intelligence received from Ngurah Rai Customs and police units concerning a suspected shipment of narcotics into Bali from abroad. The packages, containing cocaine, were expected to arrive on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.
To avoid suspicion, the suspect allegedly used online driver services to collect the shipments from Denpasar’s Regional Post Office 8 and deliver them to addresses he had specified.
Two Delivery Packages and Coordinated Surveillance
Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya explained that the drugs were delivered in two separate parcels.
One package was sent to an apartment at 3, Gang Manggis, Tibubeneng, North Kuta, Badung, and the other to Jalan Raya Tumbakbayuh Tiying Tutul, Mengwi, also in Badung Regency.
An online motorcycle taxi driver collected the first package on 22 May 2025 at around 10:30 a.m. The suspect then instructed an individual identified as YE to hand the parcel to another driver, IMS, who later transported it to Gang Manggis.
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“IMS brought the goods to the address ordered by the suspect, namely in Gang Manggis, Tibubeneng Village, North Kuta, Badung,” the Bali Police Chief stated.
Shortly after, LLA directed YE to retrieve the second package from the Renon Post Office and deliver it to the same location. The drivers were reportedly unaware that the packages contained illegal substances.
Police surveillance teams tracked both deliveries. Once the suspect received both parcels, officers arrested him at the scene.
During the operation, the packages were opened in front of the suspect, the two online drivers, and local residents. Inside were 206 smaller packets of cocaine weighing a total of 1.8 kilograms.
“In addition, supporting evidence was also found in the room where the suspect lived, such as a digital scale and a plastic bundle,” Inspector General Adityajaya added.
He estimated the total street value of the cocaine at around IDR 12 billion, stating, “With the disclosure of this case, Bali Police has been able to save 2,666 lives from the dangers of narcotics.”
Packages Hidden in Toys and Stationery; Legal Consequences Loom
The investigation revealed that the cocaine had been sent from the United Kingdom on 12 April 2025. It arrived in Denpasar on 20 May. The packages were hidden in children’s toys and stationery, a method described by authorities as “sophisticated”.
“The suspect is one person, with the modus operandi of using postal services to send cocaine narcotics from abroad to Bali to be circulated in Bali,” said the Police Chief.
Upon arrest, LLA reportedly resisted police efforts to take him into custody. The online drivers remain as witnesses and are not facing charges at this time.
The suspect is now facing multiple charges under Indonesian narcotics law. He is suspected of violating:
- Article 113 (2) of Law No. 35 of 2009: punishable by death, life imprisonment, or a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a fine between IDR 1 billion and IDR 10 billion plus one third;
- Article 114 (2) of the same law: punishable by death, life imprisonment, or 6–20 years imprisonment, with fines ranging from IDR 1 billion to IDR 10 billion plus one third;
- Subsidiary to Article 112 (2): also carrying severe penalties for narcotics offences.
