Bali's Ngurah Rai Customs Intercepts Argentine Drug Courier, Seizes 323.76 Grams of Cocaine

March 27, 2025 | 10:18 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The customs office at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport thwarted a courier attempting to bring narcotics into Bali, Indonesia. The interception took place at the international arrival terminal of the airport on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

In the interception, customs officers seized evidence in the form of white powder weighing 323.76 grams gross from a citizen of Argentina with the initials GE. "For now, the evidence and the Argentine citizen have been handed over to the Bali Provincial National Narcotics Agency (BNNP)," said the public relations officer of Ngurah Rai Customs, Bowo Pramoedito, through a written statement on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Bowo stated that the white powder has been confirmed as a type I cocaine narcotic after laboratory testing. According to him, the smuggling modus operandi employed was vaginal insertion. The narcotics were concealed in the genitals by GE, who was on a layover from Dubai.

To the officers, GE claimed to work as a hairdresser. The 46-year-old Argentine woman confessed to the customs officers that she came to Bali alone to deliver the narcotics package obtained in Mexico. GE claimed she was promised a reward of US$ 3,000.

Customs officers found indications of involvement of other parties in the smuggling attempt by GE. She was suspected to meet a recipient after landing in Bali.

The uncovering of GE's case stemmed from intelligence analysis and monitoring of the passengers of Emirates flight EK368 with the route Dubai-Denpasar. GE arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on March 25, 2025, around 18:00 local time.

Upon arrival in Bali, customs officers asked GE to pass through a special inspection lane. The officers found the narcotics hidden in her genitals after conducting a thorough body search and inspecting GE's belongings.

In follow-up to this smuggling case, a joint team of Ngurah Rai Customs and the Bali BNNP will conduct further operations to uncover the narcotics network that is suspected of promising money to GE. "Ngurah Rai Customs remains committed to protecting the people of Indonesia from the threat of narcotics smuggling by enhancing surveillance at the country's entry points and increasing cooperation with various relevant agencies," said Bowo.

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