Bali Police Arrest Ukrainian Citizen for Smuggling Mephedrone at Ngurah Rai Airport

DENPASAR - The Bali Police Narcotics Investigation Directorate together with Ngurah Rai Customs and Excise thwarted an international network of narcotics smuggling by arresting a Ukrainian citizen who carried mephedrone-type narcotics through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

Director of Narcotics Investigation of the Bali Police, Kombes Radiant, said the suspect named Bohdan Lohush (29) was arrested after officers suspected his movements when he arrived in Bali using a Qatar Airways flight from Poland with a transit in Doha.

"Ngurah Rai Customs officers together with the Bali Police conducted patrols in the international arrival area. When the suspect passenger was checked, mephedrone type narcotics were found in the suitcase he was carrying," said Radiant as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 10.

He explained that the arrest took place on May 21, 2026 at around 19.30 Wita.

From the results of the examination, officers found three packages containing Class I narcotics of the type mephedrone which is the raw material or precursor of ecstasy.

A total of 937 pieces of evidence were secured with a gross weight of 1,367.70 grams and a net weight of 951.64 grams. The value of the evidence is estimated to reach Rp. 700 million.

According to Radiant, the suspect is suspected of deliberately carrying mephedrone through the air route to be distributed in Bali.

"The modus operandi used is smuggling the narcotics through Ngurah Rai Airport by hiding it in a travel suitcase," he said.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with Article 610 paragraph (2) letter a and Article 609 paragraph (2) letter a of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code in conjunction with Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustment.

Radiant said the disclosure of the case was part of an effort to break the chain of international drug trafficking.

From the seizure of 937 pieces of mephedrone, the police estimated that as many as 4,755 people could be spared from the potential for drug abuse.

Currently, investigators are still investigating the possibility of a network of recipients and international syndicates involved in smuggling narcotics to Bali.

"The person concerned has only come here for the first time. So whether there is a network here, we are still deepening," said Radiant.