Courier of 49.6 Grams of Methamphetamine Faces 8 Years' Imprisonment and Rp 1 Billion Fine
Public prosecutor Dewa Gede Ari Kusumajaya has demanded a sentence of eight years’ imprisonment against the defendant, I Gede Edi Rahadi, in a case involving the alleged distribution of 49.58 grams of crystal methamphetamine. At a hearing at the Denpasar District Court on Thursday (16 July 2026), in addition to the custodial sentence, the defendant was also charged with a fine of Rp 1 billion, with a provision that failure to pay would be replaced by a further 190 days’ imprisonment.
“The defendant has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing, without authorisation, the criminal act of acting as an intermediary in the sale of non-plant Category I narcotics weighing more than 5 grams,” said Ari.
According to Ari, the defendant’s actions satisfy the elements set out in Article 114 paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics.
The prosecutor also asked the panel of judges to order that the period of detention already served by the defendant be deducted in full from the sentence imposed, and that the defendant remain in custody.
The case began on 27 March 2026, when the defendant was contacted via WhatsApp by an individual named Yoga RTN, who is now on the police wanted list. The defendant was asked to collect a package of narcotics that had been taped in place in the area of Jalan Tukad Badung XII C, Renon, South Denpasar.
At around 4.46pm local time, the defendant received a location pin along with photographs as guidance. He then collected the package, which had been hidden near a rubbish bin inside a plastic wrapper from a Sari Roti bread package. It was at that moment that the defendant was immediately apprehended by police officers.
From the defendant’s hands, the police seized crystal methamphetamine weighing 50.56 grams gross, or 49.58 grams net, a Vivo mobile phone and a clear plastic clip. An examination by the Bali Regional Police Forensic Laboratory confirmed that the evidence tested positive for methamphetamine, which is classified as a Category I narcotic.
In the indictment, the prosecutor requested that the evidence in the form of the crystal methamphetamine and the plastic clip be destroyed, whilst the mobile phone used in the case be confiscated for the state.
Nevertheless, the prosecutor noted a number of mitigating factors: the defendant behaved politely throughout the trial, admitted to and expressed remorse for his actions, promised not to repeat them, and is the breadwinner of his family.
“The defendant’s actions run counter to the government’s efforts to eradicate the illicit circulation of narcotics,” the prosecutor concluded.