Colombian citizen smuggler of 3.4 kg of cocaine to Bali sentenced to 11 years in prison

DENPASAR - The Denpasar District Court's panel of judges sentenced a Colombian citizen (WN) Sebastian Arboleda Montoya (30) to 11 years in prison, who was proven to have smuggled 3.4 kilograms of cocaine to Bali through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The verdict was read by the Chairperson of the Panel of Judges Tenny Erma Suryathi, accompanied by members of the Court Syahbuddin and H. Sayuti in a trial held at the Denpasar District Court, Bali, Thursday, July 23.

"Judging, declaring the defendant Sebastian Arboleda Montoya to be legally and convincingly guilty of possessing narcotics of Group I, not a plant with a weight exceeding five grams, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison, reduced for the defendant while in custody," said the judge as reported by ANTARA.

In addition to imprisonment, the defendant was also sentenced to a fine of Rp1 billion.

If the fine is not paid within one month, the defendant's assets or income will be confiscated and auctioned.

If it is insufficient, the fine is replaced with a prison sentence of 190 days.

In the decision, the panel of judges stated that Sebastian was proven to be legally and convincingly guilty of possessing narcotics of Class I, not a plant, with a weight exceeding five grams as stipulated in Article 609 paragraph (2) letter a of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code jo Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning Criminal Adjustment.

The verdict was lighter than the demands of the Public Prosecutor Dipa Umbara from the Bali High Prosecutor's Office, who had previously charged the defendant with a sentence of 16 years in prison and a fine of Rp. 1 billion with a 190-day prison sentence.

The panel of judges considered a number of mitigating factors, namely the defendant admitted his actions, was cooperative during the trial, regretted his actions, and suffered from bipolar disorder.

Meanwhile, the aggravating factor is that the defendant's actions are considered contrary to the government's efforts in eradicating the circulation of narcotics.

After the verdict was read, both the defendant, who was accompanied by his lawyer, and the Public Prosecutor both expressed their thoughts on the verdict.

Based on the indictment letter of the JPU, this case began when Sebastian departed from Medellin, Colombia to Bali using Qatar Airways with a transit in Doha, Qatar. The defendant arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on February 10, 2026 at around 23.15 Wita.

Around 01.00 Wita on February 11, 2026, Customs and Excise officers suspected a black Samsonite suitcase brought by the defendant. The results of the examination found three black plastic packages containing cocaine with a gross weight of 3,471.74 grams or about 3.4 kilograms and a net weight of 2,223.87 grams.

During the examination, said the JPU, the defendant admitted that the suitcase was a trust from someone with the initials REA who asked him to take the goods to Bali to be handed over to someone whose identity was not known.

The defendant was promised a salary of 5,000 euros, but only received 1,000 euros before departure.

Sebastian admitted that he suspected that the suitcase he was carrying contained narcotics or prohibited items because of the amount of reward promised.

During the trip to Bali, all plane tickets, hotels, and travel instructions are arranged by REA through WhatsApp and Signal applications.

In front of investigators, the defendant also stated that he was receiving the job as a narcotics courier for the first time and that he was bringing narcotics abroad or entering Indonesia for the first time.