Russian National Sentenced to 8.5 Months in Prison for Not Reporting Partner's Cannabis Cultivation in Bali

The Denpasar District Court has sentenced a 33-year-old Russian national, Kseniia Varlamova, to eight months and 15 days in prison after she was found to have known about a hydroponic cannabis cultivation operation run by her boyfriend, Nirul Rashim Abdoelrazak, but failed to report it to law enforcement. The verdict was delivered in a session on Thursday (4/6/2026) by a panel of judges chaired by Iman Lukmanul Hakim. In its ruling, the judge declared Kseniia proven guilty of violating the Narcotics Law regarding the obligation to report known narcotics crimes. Presiding Judge Iman Lukmanul Hakim stated that the defendant was legitimately and convincingly found guilty of failing to report a narcotics crime as outlined in the prosecutor’s second charge. The judge subsequently sentenced Kseniia to eight months and 15 days in prison, a term 15 days longer than the eight-month sentence demanded by Public Prosecutor I Made Lovi Pusnawan. After hearing the verdict, Kseniia accepted the sentence imposed by the panel of judges. Meanwhile, the prosecutor stated he was still considering his next legal step. The case originated from the discovery of a hydroponic cannabis cultivation operation run by Rashim, a 30-year-old Dutch national, in a house in the Ubung Kaja area of North Denpasar. Rashim is being processed separately and was previously sentenced to nine years in prison and a fine of Rp 1 billion. According to the indictment, Rashim began preparing the cannabis cultivation facilities in March 2025 by setting up a special grow room. In August 2025, he started planting cannabis seeds using a hydroponic method until the plants grew and produced leaves and flowers, which were then harvested and stored. During the trial, it was revealed that Kseniia was aware of these illegal activities. She was even said to have photographed the cannabis seedlings planted by her partner, yet she never reported the activities to law enforcement. For her actions, the prosecutor charged the defendant under Article 131 in conjunction with Article 111 paragraph (2) of Law Number 35 of 2009 on Narcotics for deliberately failing to report a narcotics crime she was aware of. The case was ultimately uncovered after the Bali Police Narcotics Investigation Directorate raided the house occupied by the couple on 1 October 2025. Police discovered cannabis plants along with various hydroponic cultivation equipment and detained both foreign nationals for legal proceedings.