Bali authorities seize 29,295 Ecstasy pills

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Customs and excise authorities at Ngurah Rai Airport found 29,295 Ecstasy tablets yesterday in two suitcases which had been left unclaimed for three months.

It was the largest drug seizure in Bali this year.

The pills were stored in 10 plastic bottles. A third suitcase contained 231 vinyl records, 210 candles, 31 compact discs and some used clothes, the authorities said.

Chief of the Ngurah Rai Customs and Excise office Mardjoko said the three suitcases were unloaded on July 12 from two Garuda aircraft that served the Amsterdam-Medan-Bali route.

The authorities believe the pills are Ecstasy because preliminary tests show they contain amphetamine, the basic compound in Ecstasy.

The pills were different colors: light green, light blue and light brown. They included some oval-shaped pills that the authorities had never seen before.

"We held the luggage after nobody claimed it and because we saw something suspicious when we X-rayed the three suitcases. The internal images were indistinguishable," Mardjoko said.

The three suitcases were broken open in the presence of Badung Police Precinct Chief Lt. Col. Soedjono and journalists.

The plastic bottles were wrapped in clothes while compact discs were used to distort the image of the hidden drugs. According to Mardjoko, X-ray cannot penetrate compact discs, which distort light images.

"We have transferred the case to the police for investigation," Mardjoko said.

Since May, authorities in the Ngurah Rai Airport have foiled eight attempted drug runs, seizing 65,580 Ecstasy pills, 2.5 kilograms of hashish and 20 grams of marijuana.

In May, airport authorities seized 20,781 Ecstasy tablets as they were smuggled into the tourist island. (33/pan)

Drug bill -- Page 2