Brazilian teen caught in Bali with over 3kg of cocaine faces death penalty

On January 1, 2023, Bali Airport authorities arrested a Brazilian teen (initials MF) who was found in possession of over 3,5kg of cocaine.

MF landed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport around 3am via Qatar Airways.

Initially suspected by airport customs officers, MF was then interviewed and had her luggage checked and scanned. The x-ray images showed suspicious items in two grey suitcases and a Louis Vuitton bag.

Details of what was apprehended by the officers were explained by Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Putu Jayan Danu Putra, during a press conference on Friday, January 27.

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“The total weight narcotics apprehended was 3,950 grams gross or 3,608 grams net of cocaine, plus as much as 1,63 grams gross or 0,72 grams net of clonazepam,” stated the Police Chief.

He goes on to mention that the arrest was made without any intelligence information; “We really appreciate what customs have done,” he adds.

Unit Chief of the Bali Police Drug Enforcement Office, Iwan Eka Putra, goes on to clarify that MF, who has a surfing hobby, was in fact a victim of a Brazilian drug smuggling syndicate.

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“The 19-year old has a hobby of surfing and was promised by a friend who lives nearby her house that she’ll be able to go to surfing school in Bali if she brought the suitcases with her,” he explains, adding how MF isn’t considered a “drug mule” because she herself was unknowing of what she was carrying. “She was indeed merely taken advantage of by the Brazilian network.”

Now named a suspect, MF is charged under Article 113 paragraph 2 of Indonesia’s Law on Narcotics which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

[Via: The Bali Times]

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.