Russian Drug Smugglers Arrested in Bali After High-Speed Chase Hits Pedestrians, Officials Say

Indonesian authorities arrested two Russian nationals suspected of drug smuggling into Bali. The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) seized 7.8 kilograms of hashish from a suitcase, as per their statement on Sunday.

The pair were apprehended after attempting to smuggle the drugs from Thailand to Bali. According to BNN chief Suyudi Ario Seto, “We have seized the evidence, 7.8 kilograms of hashish.”

The woman, identified as KK, arrived in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport and drove to Bali in a rental vehicle on Friday. The man, SK, picked up the woman at an unidentified location before attempting to flee.

Authorities pursued the man who “drove the vehicle at very high speed and recklessly, even hitting several local residents” before being stopped. Both were taken into custody on Friday without further details provided by BNN.

An investigation is underway to determine if the pair are part of a larger syndicate. Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, though executions have been moratorium since 2016.

In December 2024, Mary Jane Veloso was returned from death row in Indonesia to the Philippines. In August, a Peruvian woman was arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine into Bali using a sex toy and hiding drugs in her underwear. Two British men were sentenced to nine and 11 years in prison for smuggling cocaine into Bali last March.