Bali Police Arrest Foreigners Owner Of Hydroponic Marijuana Gardens

DENPASAR - Bali Regional Police revealed a drug crime controlled by a married couple of foreign nationals from the Netherlands and Russia who are suspected of having a hydroponic cannabis garden in Ubung, Denpasar.

Director of the Bali Police Narcotics Investigation Kombes Radiant said the couple were NR (31), a man from the Netherlands, and KV (33), a woman from Russia.

"The person concerned is husband and wife. We are also exploring his role from this wife. Does he only know or does he also help a lot? However, from the results of the initial examination, he still only knows, but he also can't do anything to report it because he is husband and wife," said Radiant, Friday, October 3.

He explained that the disclosure of the case began with public information regarding suspicious activities, namely a hydroponic marijuana-type narcotics laboratory carried out by foreign nationals in a rented house on Jalan Bina Kusuma IV Ubung Kaja, North Denpasar, Bali.

On Wednesday, August 1, the Bali Police Narcotics Directorate Team conducted an investigation around the crime scene and secured two foreigners in front of the house.

After that, the police conducted a search inside the house and it was true that a large amount of hydroponic cannabis plants were found inside the crime scene.

The house is divided into several rooms to be used as nurserys, planting to the hydroponic plantation area of the cannabis tree.

"From the results of the examination, evidence was found that the suspect built or made hydroponic tents including electricity and irrigation and starting from seed seed seeding to breeding in hydroponic pots, as well as the growth area of ready-to-harvest cannabis plants," he said.

According to Radiant, the couple's crime is highly organized because each area is equipped with a cooling system, room temperature settings, watering, fertilization, lighting lights, and is monitored with CCTV.

In contrast to the drug laboratory case in Sunny Village, Tibubeneng Village and the drug laboratory in Ungasan, Badung Regency, which was revealed by the National Police Headquarters some time ago, the house rented by the foreign couple was not equipped with a laboratory.

Currently, only NR has been named a suspect while his wife is still being examined as a witness.

NR was charged with Article 111 paragraph (2) of the Narcotics Law, namely storing, possessing, and controlling class I narcotics in the form of plants weighing more than 1 kilogram or 5 trees.

Meanwhile, KV is still being examined as a witness at the Bali Police Headquarters. The police are still exploring the role of KV in the case.

"We are still investigating whether the role the wife can make a suspect. Currently, there is still time to be able to do that in question, because we have to have evidence to drag that the person concerned also has a role in the cultivation of marijuana," said Radiant.

The evidence confiscated by the police in this case were hundreds of polybags and soil media, including cannabis tree sprouts/bits ready to grow, as well as several cannabis trees that had reached a height of 1 meter, as well as various other equipment and equipment including scales.