Indonesia | Ukrainians and a Russian face death penalty over Bali drug lab, says police

BALI, Indonesia (AFP): Two Ukrainians and a Russian national face the death penalty in Indonesia after police raided a suspected drug lab on the popular resort island of Bali, police said Monday.

Authorities said four suspects, including an Indonesian national, were arrested earlier this month at a villa on the island.

They are accused of operating a hydroponic marijuana and mephedrone manufacturing laboratory.

The Ukrainian suspects, named only by their initials IV and MV, were in charge of producing and mixing materials to manufacture the drugs, said Wahyu Widada, head of Indonesia's criminal investigation agency.

The Russian suspect identified as KK was a drug marketer under a network called Hydra, he added.

All were charged with drug offences that carry a maximum punishment of the death penalty and a fine of 10 billion rupiah ($622,000).

Police confiscated at least 10 kilograms of hydroponic marijuana, 684 grams of mephedrone, and 107 grams of cocaine.

"We also confiscated ecstasy moulding equipment by which they attempted to produce the drugs but their production had always been unsuccessful," Wahyu said in the press release.

Police said the Indonesian suspect was also being investigated for an earlier drug lab case in capital Jakarta.

Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws including the death penalty for traffickers.

There are dozens of traffickers on death row in the country, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother and a Philippine woman accused of smuggling heroin.

Earlier on Monday, Bali police said a 49-year-old Australian faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of more than $600,000 for allegedly consuming and attempting to sell crystal meth.

Human rights activists and legal experts have questioned the effectiveness and fairness of Indonesia’s anti-drug policy and called for a moratorium on executions.

Under Indonesia’s new criminal code passed in 2022, judges can impose death sentences with a probationary period of 10 years, after which the sentence can be reduced to life imprisonment.

Source: Agence France-Presse, Staff, May 12, 2024

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