Several people arrested in Bali on drugs charges that could carry death penalty
The move comes after three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram of cocaine into Indonesia were charged on Tuesday in a court on Bali.
Customs officers at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport arrested an Indian national with the initials HV, who was carrying a duffel bag, in the customs and excise inspection area on May 29.
The officers found narcotic-related items in his belongings, authorities said.
Following up on the interrogation of HV, later that day officers from the National Narcotics Agency of Bali Province arrested an Australian man with the initials PR, who has been visiting Bali since 1988.
PR asked HV to bring the duffel bag from Los Angeles to Bali, said I Made Sinar Subawa, an official from the narcotics agency, at a news conference.
The accused pair are presented to the media with other drug suspects following their arrests (Firdia Lisnawati/AP)
During a search at a house where he stayed, officers found drugs in the form of hashish, a cannabis concentrate product, that belonged to PR and had been purchased over the Telegram messaging app.
The hashish was shipped from Los Angeles and Philippines before finally being received in Bali, Mr Subawa said. Officers seized 191 grams of hashish along with some candies consisting of tetrahydrocannabinol, and 488 grams of marijuana.
Both PR and HV are now suspected of dealing in narcotics, based on the evidence that was found with them, Mr Subawa said.
'PR is suspected of violating Indonesia's Narcotics Law which carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a minimum of four years and a maximum of 12 years,' said Mr Subawa.
Along with HV and PR, the agency also arrested WM, an American, on May 23 while he was collecting a package from a post office in Bali.
(Firdia Lisnawati/AP)
An officer opened the package carried by WM and found seven pieces of silver packaging containing a total of 99 orange amphetamine pills and secured one white Apple iPhone.
The agency, at a news conference in the city of Denpasar on Thursday, presented the evidence, including marijuana and hashish, seized from the suspects.
All suspects will undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia, including trial and sentencing.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
The south-east Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers can face severe penalties, including the possibility of execution by firing squad.
About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show.
Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
37 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Full tragic timeline of 3-week hunt for Pheobe Bishop – from airport disappearance to housemate arrests and horror find
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PHEOBE Bishop mysteriously vanished over three weeks ago in a gripping disappearance case which puzzled the world. The shocking story has been plagued by grim twists and heartbreaking pleas after the 17-year-old teenager went missing near an airport on May 15. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 16 Australian teen Pheobe Bishop disappeared over three weeks ago Credit: Facebook 16 Both of her housemates were arrested and charged with murder Credit: Queensland Police 16 An extensive search was launched in the weeks after she vanished Credit: 9 News 16 Her heartbroken mum made an emotional series of posts over the last three weeks Credit: Enterprise 16 Before she disappeared, Pheobe had been living in the town of Gin Gin, which is north of Brisbane in Australia. The sleepy neighbourhood has a population of about 1,100 people. The teenager had been living in a derelict pad - which had a foul smell and was very noisy according to neighbours. She lived there with two housemates: James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33. On the day she went missing, Pheobe was meant to board a flight to see her boyfriend in Western Australia. Her housemates drove her to Bundaberg airport, but police said CCTV there never even saw her enter the terminal and she never actually checked in. She was on her way to Perth to visit her "high-school sweetheart" boyfriend. Pheobe reportedly made a last minute call to him at 8:30am mere moments before she was set to get on the flight to Western Australia. A family member said: "She didn't check in for her flight to visit her boyfriend who she spoke to on the phone at 8.30am." According to the Daily Mail, Wood said the couple had an explosive argument in the car with Pheobe over whether she could do her makeup before arriving at the airport. He said they pulled over just under a kilometre from their destination. Pheobe Bishop cops arrest 34-year-old flatmate who was last to see missing Aussie teen on explosive journey to airport Wood and Bromley then allegedly walked off and were away from Pheobe and the car for five minutes, according to the 34-year-old. A missing person's report was issued for her one day later on May 16. Her worried sick sister, Kaylea Bishop, sent Wood and Bromley a simple text, demanding to know the whereabouts of her sibling. She said: "Where is my sister?" On the following weekend, her desperate mum Kylie Johnson made emotional pleas for anyone with information to come forward. By May 18, over 400 missing person posters with Pheobe's photo had been plastered across the Wide Bay region. The next week, on Monday May 19, police launched their search for Pheobe. It covered land along Bundaberg's Airport Drive and the surrounding areas. 16 The 17-year-old had been living in a derelict home Credit: Enterprise 16 Housemate Tanika Bromley, 33 Credit: Enterprise 16 Housemate James Wood, 34 Credit: Facebook 16 A shock change was discovered on Bromley's car Credit: Facebook But mysteriously, police didn't find any sign of the teen or her belongings. Police, along with Pheobe's mum, described her disappearance as out of character on May 20. They also asked the public for information about the 2011 grey Hyundai ix35 hatch, owned by Bromley, that had been seen around Airport Drive at the time of Pheoebe's disappearance. The next day, police updated the case and said they were treating Pheobe's disappearance as a suspicious. They also declared two crime scenes - one being the run-down home she was living at, and the other being the infamous Hyundai she was driven to the airport in. After inspecting the foul-smelling home, police found four dead dogs rotting inside. But it was later understood that these four pups died of natural causes. Airport Drive, Samuels Road and Gin Gin were also named as locations of interest. On May 22, Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson stressed the importance of public information. In a chilling plea, he said: "People don't vanish." 16 The desperate search had previously been called off Credit: 9 News 16 Bromley's Hyundai was declared a crime scene Credit: 7 News 16 Pheobe's mum said the discovery of a body had ripped her apart Credit: Facebook The day after that, police revealed they were searching through bushland and waterways at Good Night Scrub National Park, near to where Pheobe was last seen. This scan went on for the next two days, during which police dogs joined the hunt. On May 25 Bromley was arrested in a major twist after police allegedly found weapons in her silver Hyundai. On May 26, the search area was expanded - before cops made a harrowing revelation. They believed evidence had been moved from the Good Night Scrub area before they arrived there. And on this same day, a new number plate was discovered to have been suspiciously painted and taped over the notorious Hyundai's original plate. The gruelling search effort in Good Night Scrub National Park then continued from May 27 for five more days. Disturbingly, the search appeared to lose hope as police said they would no longer be doing any more physical scans for Pheobe on Wednesday, June 4. They said they would restart any searches only when they had relevant information. But in a dramatic twist on the very same day - Pheobe's housemate Wood was arrested. 16 She had saved up for months to buy a plane ticket Credit: Enterprise 16 The teenager was set to board a flight on May 15 Credit: Enterprise However, no charges were made and he was released a day later on June 5. And in yet another turn in the tale - Wood and Bromley were then both arrested and charged with murder on the same day Wood was released - exactly three weeks after Pheobe went missing. They were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. Shocking footage released on Friday showed the moment police arrested Wood and escorted him out of an RV for the "homicide of Pheobe Bishop". Both Wood and Bromley appeared at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning. Outside the building, Pheobe's heartbroken sister Kaylea Bishop said her sibling was 'loved and missed' dearly. Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and were planning to move in together last year. And in the latest heartbreaking update, human remains were found during a search for Pheobe. They are yet to be identified, but police have spoken to Pheobe's family regarding the harrowing discovery. The body was found close to Good Night Scrub National Park, near Gin Gin, on Friday, June 6 at around 2:30pm. 16 Pheobe was last seen with Wood and Bromley on May 15 Credit: Facebook 16 Police constantly pleaded with the public to bring forward any information Credit: Facebook Pheobe's mum then made a heartbreaking statement. She said: "I didn't think my heart could break anymore than it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid but this. "This is ripping me apart." Pheobe had previously said online that she wasn't living with her mum, and that she had been "in and out" of home for years. Cops are now set to allege that Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport in the morning of May 15. They believe that the trio never actually left the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: "Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle." Wood and Bromley will appear in court on August 11.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
The blackmail message is believed to have included a racist term RANSOM DEMAND Terrifying message sent by 'Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 High street retailer Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter holiday Credit: Alamy 2 M&S boss Stuart Machin, pictured, along with seven other company executives were emailed by the hackers, believed to be DragonForce Credit: PA The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Bargain Hunt star is JAILED for terror offence over plot involving priceless artwork and barbaric militant group
Art dealer raked in £140,000 from his crimes PRICE TO PAY Bargain Hunt star is JAILED for terror offence over plot involving priceless artwork and barbaric militant group A BARGAIN Hunt star has been jailed for a terror offence after flogging artwork to the backer of a barbaric militant group. Ochuko Ojiri - real name Oghenochuko Ojiri - was held following an investigation into terrorist financing. Advertisement 8 Ochuko Ojiri sold artwork to a Hezbollah backer Credit: Jon Bond 8 The star is known for his work on Bargain Hunt Credit: BBC 8 He was sentenced today He was the first person to be charged with a specific offence under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. Ojiri has now been jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector. The TV star, who has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip, faced a maximum five years in prison for the offences, which took place between October 2020 to December 2021. Ojiri sold artwork to Nazem Ahmad, a man designated by US authorities as a "major financial donor" for militant group Hezbollah. Advertisement Prosecutors in America believe Ahmad used high-value art and diamonds to launder money and fund the organisation. At the time, Ojiri knew Ahmad had been sanctioned in the US and read news articles about him. Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said previously: "There is one discussion where Mr Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about his terrorism links." Mr Harris said that Ojiri "dealt with Mr Ahmad directly, negotiated the sales of artwork and congratulated him on those sales". Advertisement The total value of the artwork sold was around £140,000, with the art sent to Dubai, the UAE, or Beirut. Receipts released by the Met Police show the art included paintings by Charlie Roberts, Mónika Kárándi and an £8,500 piece by British artist Nigel Howlett. Ojiri also flogged a £12,000 bronze sculpture by the same artist, as well as four pieces by Max Rumbol totalling £15,700. One painting - Patty in Blue by Baldur Helgason - was sold to Ahmad for £20,000. Advertisement 8 Invoices showed a number of deals Ojiri made 8 He flogged a number of Max Rumbol pieces for more than £15,000 8 Ojiri made £140,000 in total from his crimes The court heard new money laundering regulations in January 2020 brought the art market under HMRC supervision. Advertisement Ojiri is said to have discussed the changes with a colleague - indicating awareness of the rules. His charge came following an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. The Treasury, HMRC and the Met's Arts & Antiques Unit were all also involved in the probe. Police raided two UK warehouses to seize a number of artwork from Ahmad in May 2023. Advertisement Among the pieces, which were not sold by Ojiri, were two Andy Warhol paintings and a Picasso painting. In total, the Met seized £1million in art, which was sold so the funds can be reinvested back to the police, CPS and Home Office. Ojiri was previously the owner of an art gallery called Pelicans and Parrots that was dubbed "the coolest place in London". He sold a curated selection of contemporary furniture, houseware, and gifts until the store closed in 2021. Advertisement The antiques expert first appeared on screens on BBC show Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. He then became a regular on popular daytime show Bargain Hunt, where he lends his expert advice to budding antique buyers. Ojiri has also appeared on Antiques Road Show - travelling across the country as he attempts to make a profit on forgotten items. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'This case is a great example of the work done by detectives in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), based in the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. Advertisement 'The prosecution, using specific Terrorism Act legislation is the first of its kind, and should act as a warning to all art dealers that we can, and will, prosecute those who knowingly do business with people identified as funders of terrorist groups. 'Oghenochuko Ojiri wilfully obscured the fact he knew he was selling artwork to Nazem Ahmad, someone who has been sanctioned by the UK and US Treasury and described as a funder of the proscribed terrorist group Hizballah. 'Financial investigation is a crucial part of the counter terrorism effort. A team of specialist investigators, analysts and researchers in the NTFIU work all year round to prevent money from reaching the hands of terrorists or being used to fund terrorist attacks.' 8 Ojiri started his career as an art dealer Advertisement
