Ngurah Rai Customs Thwarts 3.5 kg Cocaine Smuggling Worth Rp 2 Billion

Ngurah Rai Customs at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, thwarted a narcotics smuggling attempt on 30 April 2026. A foreign national from Colombia, initials JRG (29), was found in possession of approximately 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, valued at around Rp 2 billion. The narcotics were concealed inside the traveller’s suitcase.

Head of Ngurah Rai Customs Office, Wawan Dharmawan, said the enforcement action followed intelligence analysis of passengers with high-risk profiles. The suspect was identified as travelling a Medellin-Madrid-Doha-Denpasar route.

‘Officers became suspicious during an X-ray screening of the passenger’s belongings. Although the bag’s contents appeared normal, there were indications of a hidden compartment within the bag,’ he said.

Further investigations were conducted to confirm the suspicion. Three suspicious packages were found concealed in a special compartment inside the traveller’s suitcase.

Laboratory tests subsequently confirmed the packages contained Class I narcotics, namely cocaine, with a total weight of about 3.5 kilograms and an estimated value of Rp 2 billion.

According to Wawan, the seizure was the result of a collaboration between Ngurah Rai Customs, the Bali Nusra Regional Office of Customs, Bali Province BNN, and the Customs and Excise Laboratory. He noted that cross-agency cooperation is a crucial factor in exposing international drug-smuggling networks that continue to develop new modus operandi.

‘The modus operandi used by these international networks continues to adapt to deceive officers. However, enhanced supervision and the vigilance of officers remain the main keys to preventing narcotics from entering Indonesia,’ he stated.

Customs said the seizure is estimated to have saved approximately 17,900 lives from potential drug abuse.