Bali Provincial National Narcotics Agency, in coordination with Customs and Excise officers, successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotics into the island by two foreign nationals.
The suspects, Yuri Bezerra Da Costa (25) from Brazil and Lungile Ntombenhle Mzimela (32) from South Africa, were caught separately at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport carrying large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine.
3 KG of Cocaine Hidden in Luggage
Yuri Bezerra Da Costa was arrested on July 13, 2025, after arriving on an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to Denpasar. According to BNNP Bali’s Head of Eradication, Police Commissioner I Made Sinar Subawa, Yuri acted as a drug courier.
“The drugs were hidden in luggage (inside the lining of a suitcase and backpack), with a net weight of 3,089.36 grams of cocaine,” Subawa stated during a press conference in Denpasar on Thursday (July 24), accompanied by BNNP Bali Head, Brigadier General Rudy Ahmad Sudrajat.
Yuri was promised IDR 400 million as a delivery fee and had already received a US$500 down payment hidden inside the drug package. The shipment was arranged by someone named Tio Paulo in Brazil.
According to Antarajatim, “He had strong financial pressures, economic urgency due to supporting his family in Brazil,” Subawa explained.
Customs officers at the airport grew suspicious and conducted an x-ray scan of Yuri’s belongings. They discovered two plastic packages containing cocaine.
According to Tirto.id, “Following x-ray procedures on YB’s belongings, two plastic clips containing narcotics specifically cocaine with a total net weight of 3,089.36 grams were found,” Subawa said.
Yuri admitted the drugs were meant to be delivered to someone in Bali on orders from Tio Paulo. Authorities attempted a controlled delivery to the agreed location, but the intended recipient never appeared.
“After checking YB’s phone, we found that Tio Paulo could no longer be contacted and had deleted their conversation, rendering the controlled delivery attempt in Bali unsuccessful,” he added.
Meth in Underwear
Separately, Lungile Ntombenhle Mzimela was arrested after flying from Johannesburg via Singapore. She had concealed 990.83 grams of methamphetamine in her black underwear. Customs officers became suspicious due to intelligence from the Passenger Analysis Unit (PAU) and her suspicious behavior after deplaning.
Although nothing was found in her luggage, a female customs officer conducted a body search.
According to CNN Indonesia, “During the body check, it was found that she was hiding methamphetamine in her underwear,” Subawa stated.
Lungile confessed that a woman named Sindi had instructed her to deliver the drugs and had given her a down payment of US$100 and IDR 1,002,000. She was promised IDR 25 million upon successful delivery. However, the attempt to trace the recipient failed as Sindi stopped responding.
“After several days, Sindi still hadn’t provided the recipient’s contact. Eventually, she became unreachable, so the controlled delivery could not proceed,” Subawa explained.
Heavy Sentences Await
Both Yuri and Lungile are charged under Article 113 Paragraph (2) or Article 112 Paragraph (2) of Indonesia’s Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics. The law carries a maximum sentence of death, life imprisonment, or a minimum of five to twenty years in prison.
In a separate case, three British citizens Jonathan Christopher Collyer (38), Lisa Ellen Stocker (39), and Phineas Ambrose Float (31) were each sentenced to one year in prison by the Denpasar District Court on Thursday (July 24). They were found guilty of failing to report a narcotics crime.
“The defendant Phineas Ambrose Float has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of intentionally and jointly failing to report a narcotics crime,” said Chief Judge Heriyanti.
“The defendant is sentenced to one year in prison, reduced by the duration of his detention.”
The three were arrested for bringing cocaine disguised in “Angel Delight” food packaging, weighing over one kilogram in total. The packages were found in their suitcases after arriving from England via Doha.
The judge noted their cooperation and remorse during trial, but emphasized their actions contradicted the national anti-drug campaign.
Sources: CNN Indonesia, Tirto.id, AntaraJatim
Feat Image: via JurnalLugas