Bali emerges as major hot spot for transnational drug trafficking: Narcotics Agency

The Star

17-07-2025

DENPASAR: The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) revealed that Bali has become a major hot spot for transnational drug trafficking, warning that syndicates are using increasingly sophisticated methods to evade capture and have begun setting up drug production facilities on the island.
BNN chief Comr Gen Marthinus Hukom said that international drug dealers are now using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency to conduct transactions in Bali.
Blockchain and cryptocurrency allow users to carry out anonymous and decentraliSed financial transactions, making it harder for authorities to trace the flow of money.
"They use messaging apps like Telegram to communicate with buyers, then send coordinates for pick-up locations, eliminating the need for face-to-face contact with dealers or couriers. These transactions can take as little as two minutes and are extremely difficult for authorities to trace," Marthinus said on Tuesday (July 15), as quoted by Antaranews.
These syndicates have also established hidden drug laboratories and indoor cannabis farms in Bali, carrying out their illicit activities primarily in rented villas.
Marthinus also warned that Bali may be turning into a "killing ground" for members of transnational drug syndicates. He pointed to the recent shooting of two Australian men in Badung regency last month, which he suspects is linked to international drug trafficking networks.
Zivan Radmanovic, 32, was killed and Sanar Ghanim, 34, sustained serious injuries after two armed men broke into their villa in the early hours of June 14 and opened fire.
Authorities have since arrested three suspects with the help of Interpol, though the investigation into the motive is still ongoing.
According to Marthinus, several major transnational drug syndicates are currently operating in Bali. These include South-East Asia's Golden Triangle, which spans northern Myanmar and parts of Laos and Thailand, and the Golden Crescent, a network stretching across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
Authorities have also discovered that the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico, considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organisation in the Western Hemisphere, recently began operations in Bali.
Marthinus explained that the Sinaloa Cartel's expansion into Bali was driven by a stronger crackdown on international drug cartels in the United States under President Donald Trump, which forced the group to seek new markets.
He noted that the cartel primarily traffics drugs into Bali by air.
Marthinus added that there has also been a growing presence of Ukrainian and Russian drug syndicates in Bali, following the ongoing war between the two countries.
"Even though their countries are at war, in Bali they become partners in crime in trafficking narcotics," he said, adding that Indonesian authorities are working with the Russian government to crack down on these syndicates.
Bali police arrested more than 1,300 people for drug-related offenses last year, marking an almost 23 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
They also seized 21 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, over 18,000 ecstasy pills and nearly 90 kg of cannabis during various operations in 2024.
According to Bali Police, 226 foreign nationals were involved in criminal activities on the island last year, including drug trafficking, marking a 16 per cent increase from 194 cases the previous year.
The majority of those convicted were US citizens, followed by Australians, Russians and British nationals.
Despite growing concerns over drug trafficking involving foreign nationals in Bali, there is an increasing trend of leniency in the justice system toward foreigners charged with such offences.
Last week, Bali prosecutors requested prison sentences of nine and six years respectively for an Argentine woman and a British man on trial for smuggling 244gm of cocaine into Bali, even though the maximum sentence for trafficking over 5gm is life imprisonment.
The previous month, prosecutors sought just one-year sentences for three British nationals accused of trafficking almost one kilogramme of cocaine to the island province.
The administration of President Prabowo Subianto has moved in recent months to deport to their home countries several high-profile foreign inmates convicted of drug offences.
In February, Serge Atlaoui was sent back to France after Jakarta and Paris agreed on a deal to repatriate him on "humanitarian grounds" because of ill health. He was granted a conditional release by France authorities on July 15.
Last December, the government sent home the five remaining members of the "Bali Nine", a group of Australians who were serving heavy sentences for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg of heroin out of Bali in 2005.
The same month, it also repatriated Philippine national Mary Jane Veloso after commuting her death sentence.
According to the Immigration and Corrections Ministry, 96 foreigners were on death row in local prisons for drug offenses before Veloso's transfer to the Philippine authorities. (nal)