Bali Arrests Foreigners Found To Be Running Drug Lab In Ubud

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Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency has confirmed the arrest of three foreigners who are believed to have been operating a drugs lab in a village just outside of Ubud.

The National Narcotics Agency, known as the BNN, has confirmed that Bali has become the primary target for international drug kingpins. 

This is not the first clandestine narcotics lab to be uncovered in Bali in 2024. In May, a huge drugs lab was raided in Canggu. The operation, also run by foreigners and supported by Indonesian nationals, was being run from a tourism village in the heart of the resort. 

Speaking at a press conference, the BNN Head Commissioner General Marthinus Hukom warned of how Bali has become a target for transnational drug lords in their international operations.

He stated, “These findings must not be undermined as they have sounded the alarm bell for Bali and other regions in Indonesia as well because international drug syndicates could also target them as places of clandestine labs.”

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He added, “We should not consider the findings of this case as normal symptoms, but this is an alarm or warning that Bali and possibly other parts of Indonesia are targets for illicit drug production, which are considered safe for international drug networks.”

Hukom concluded, “Therefore, we must work together to raise awareness among the tourism activist community that tourism and entertainment are a form of pleasure for the soul and are a demand. However, we must also be able to suppress various forms of desire and false pleasure through various stimulants, which lead to physical, mental, and moral damage.”

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During the raid on the villa in Keliki Kawan Village, the BNN found that the property had been transformed into a chemical lab where Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and fentanyl were being produced. Both substances are class one narcotics in Indonesia. 

The BNN has arrested three people from the Philippines in connection with the drug lab. The man, known only by his initials DAS, is known to be 28 years old.

DAS was arrested alongside his mother, PMS, and his sister, DOS. A Jordanian citizen with the initials AMI is still a wanted suspect in Bali in connection with the case. 

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The Deputy for Eradication for the BNN and Inspector General of the BNN Police Unit in Bali, I Wayan Sugiri, chaired the press conference in Ginayar on Tuesday, 23rd July. He confirmed that the drugs lab was raided on Thursday, 18th July, at 3.45 pm.

The BNN unit conducted a raid on the villa and discovered a homemade lab made from a tent of tarpaulin. The teams also discovered lab equipment, including measuring glasses, beaker glasses, and a magnetic stirrer, as well as a plastic container of clear liquid containing the DMT substance.

It has been widely reported that this is the first time that DMT has been seized in a major drug bust in Indonesia. 

Sugiri said, “This (DMT) is the first time it has been made in Indonesia. DMT requires a long process to get the final result in solid or liquid form. The method for making DMT can be obtained in two ways, namely through a synthetic process or by using plant material extraction.”

The BNN has confirmed that suspect DAS has been charged with Indonesia’s highest drug offenses, which carry the threat of life imprisonment or the death penalty according to Indonesian law.

Speaking to reporters, the Head of the BNN Public Relations and Protocol Bureau, Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono, said that this ‘extraordinary;’ drug bust shows that trends are changing and are carrying even more serious consequences for society than ever before. 

He called on the public to be especially vigilant and implored the community in Bali to not engage in drug use in Bali or Indonesia more broadly, under any circumstance.

The BNN was able to track down the lab in Ubud after the substances were being sold and promoted online. 

Hartono said, “This is extraordinary. The raw materials are brought by our people [Indonesians], meaning that drug crimes have moved across national borders through human ideas.”

“For example, a chemist may have friends in America, buy goods from drug stores or pharmacies, and so on, and in the end, he can produce narcotics. There is expertise, evil thoughts, and networks, which result in a crime.”