DENPASAR, BALINEWS — Bali Police, working with customs officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, have uncovered an alleged international drug-smuggling attempt involving seven bottles of suspected liquid cocaine brought from Brazil to Bali.
A Brazilian national identified by the initials TCDS was arrested on Monday (October 12, 2026), after customs officers raised suspicions about his suitcase upon his arrival from Brazil.
Bali Police Public Relations Chief Kombes Pol. Ariasandy said customs officers subsequently coordinated with the Bali Police Narcotics Directorate to inspect the suitcase in the presence of its owner.
The inspection revealed seven bottles containing a suspicious liquid suspected to be cocaine. TCDS was then taken to the Bali Police Narcotics Directorate headquarters for further questioning.
According to preliminary police findings, TCDS allegedly acted as a courier on the instructions of an individual identified by the initial G.
The suspect reportedly admitted that he had been promised US$50,000, equivalent to approximately Rp800 million, for transporting the suspected cocaine from Brazil to Bali and delivering it to another person on the island who was allegedly acting on G's instructions.
Ariasandy said G allegedly covered all the suspect's travel expenses, including a flight from Brazil to Bali departing on October 5, 2026, and a return ticket to Brazil scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Police seized seven bottles containing the suspected narcotic substance, a suitcase, round-trip flight tickets for the Brazil–Bali journey, and the suspect's passport and identification documents.
TCDS has been named a suspect and is being held at the Bali Police detention facility while investigators continue their investigation.
Police are also investigating the alleged involvement of other individuals in the suspected international smuggling network, including G and the intended recipient of the shipment in Bali.
Investigators have charged TCDS under Article 609(2) of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code, concerning the possession or control of Category I narcotics, and Article 610(2), concerning the importation of Category I narcotics. According to Bali Police, the provisions carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Ariasandy reaffirmed Bali Police's commitment to cracking down on illicit drug trafficking in Bali, including international networks that allegedly use foreign nationals as couriers.
The investigation is ongoing. The identities of the alleged supplier and intended recipient, as well as the precise contents of the seven bottles, remain subject to further investigation and laboratory testing.
