Bali is 'a narcotics transit hub'

Bali is 'a narcotics transit hub'

Reuters, Jakarta

Smugglers are using the resort island of Bali as a waystation for narcotics distribution, the country's police chief said on Tuesday, following the arrest of nine Australians in Bali on allegations of heroin trafficking.

Indonesian police, working closely with their Australian counterparts, netted more than 11 kg of heroin, most of it seized at Bali's airport where five of the nine Australians were arrested on Sunday as they were about to leave for Sydney.

The others were arrested at a Bali hotel where more heroin, scales and other equipment were found, police said.

"This is another case where Bali has been used as a transit place for those carrying narcotics. It is likely that there is a syndicate behind this, but they always use a cell system," National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said.

"This is quite a big catch and can at least serve as a deterrent," Da'i told reporters. "But they have their own spies. So when we are tough on the Bangkok-Jakarta-Denpasar line, they usually find a diversion like a city with lower surveillance, such as Manila."

The police chief said heroin in Indonesia mostly comes from the Golden Triangle -- the area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet -- and moves through Thailand.

Da'i added that his force was working hand-in-hand with the Australian Federal Police to sever the drug traffic in Bali.

"They have given us big support, including taking action against their own citizens," the police general said.

The arrests come amid a controversial marijuana smuggling trial in Bali of another Australian, Schapelle Corby. Indonesian authorities accuse her of attempting to import 4.1 kg of cannabis into the tourist island last year.

Corby has said she did not know the drugs were in her bag and her lawyers have said they could have been planted in Australia. The 27-year-old, who faces a possible death sentence, has fallen sick causing proceedings to be delayed.

The Corby case has attracted wide publicity in Australia, and a death penalty could put a big dent in the increasingly positive ties between the two neighbors, who periodically experience relationship problems.

Canberra has requested that Indonesian prosecutors not seek the death penalty for Corby in the event she is found guilty.

Without mentioning the Corby case, police chief Bachtiar said that generally for all drug cases, "we hope that the legal process will be strictly carried out".