Hydroponic cannabis cultivation: Dutch national charged with nine-year prison term

Denpasar — The Denpasar District Attorney’s Office has charged Nirul Rashim Abdoelrazak, a Dutch national, seeking a nine-year prison term for the case of hydroponic cannabis plants. ‘Prosecution requests that the panel impose a prison sentence of 9 (nine) years, reduced by the period the defendant has been in custody and with an order that the defendant remain detained,’ said Prosecutor I Made Lovi Pusnawan at the demand hearing in Denpasar District Court, Bali, on Tuesday. In the indictment read before the Panel of Judges chaired by Imam Lukmanul Hakim, the prosecutor assessed that the defendant Nirul has lawfully and convincingly been proven guilty of the criminal act of planting, cultivating, maintaining, possessing, storing, controlling, or supplying Narcotics Class I in plant form as referred to in paragraph (1) with a weight exceeding 1 (one) kilogram or more than 5 (five) stems of plants. That as referred to in paragraph (1) weight exceeding 5 grams, as referred to in Article 111(2) of Law No. 35 of 2009 on Narcotics, as amended by Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Penal Code and Law No. 1 of 2026 on the Adjustment of Penalties, in the Second Indictment of the Prosecution. In its considerations, the prosecutor noted mitigating factors such as the defendant having no prior convictions, the defendant’s polite demeanor in court, openly admitting his actions thereby facilitating the proceedings. Meanwhile, aggravating factors include the defendant not supporting government programmes in eradicating narcotics offences. In addition to imprisonment, the defendant was also charged to pay a fine of IDR 1 billion with the provision that if the fine is not paid within one month, the defendant’s assets or income will be seized and auctioned by the Prosecutor to settle the unpaid fine. If seizure and auction of assets or income are insufficient or impracticable, the unpaid fine shall be replaced with a prison sentence of 80 days with the order that the defendant remains detained. The prosecutor requested that evidence including the cannabis trees and equipment related to narcotics cultivation be seized and destroyed. Regarding the charge, the judge granted the defendant and his legal counsel a one-week period to submit their defence. Earlier, in its indictment the Prosecution had revealed the case of cannabis cultivation carried out by the defendant Nirul Rashim Abdoelrazak at a house in Jalan Bina Kusuma IV area, Banjar Merta Gangga, Ubung Kaja, Denpasar North. This matter began when the defendant and his wife, Kseniia Varlamuva, occupied a two-storey house in the area. From around March 2025, the defendant began setting up a black hydroponic tent assembled by a companion named Chester. According to the Prosecution, on 25 August 2025 the defendant began planting cannabis seeds using a simple hydroponic method. The cannabis seeds were first placed on damp tissue until roots formed. The seedlings were then transferred to clear plastic cups and subsequently into a growing medium made from coconut fibre. The plants were cared for regularly through watering and fertilising until they grew large and produced leaves and cannabis flowers. The harvested cannabis leaves were stored in a plastic bag, while dried leaves were kept in a pan. The prosecutor also explained that Kseniia Varlamuva witnessed her husband’s cannabis planting activities. In fact, the witness even photographed the cannabis seedling but did not report it to authorities. When the defendant and his wife were at the house, Bali Police officers arrested the defendant and found a number of pieces of evidence related to cannabis cultivation at the scene.